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COPYRIGHT DEPCSm 



Brtmarp department 



BY 

PHEBE A. CURTISS 

- \\ 

Superintendent Elementary Division 
Ohio Sunday School Association 



PHILADELPHIA 

THE WESTMINSTER PRESS 
1918 






Copyright, 1918, 
By F. M. Braselmann 



• * « 
• • * 



©CI. A 5 1594 9 

JUN 19ISJ9 



< 

) 

Contents; 

PAGE 

I. The Primary Child 5 

II. The Teacher 11 

III. The Standard for the Primary Department 18 

IY. The Place 25 

V. The Program 34 

VI. The Material 48 

VII. The Use of the Story 54 

VIII. Supplemental and Correlated Lessons 60 

IX. Missions in the Primary Department 64 

X. Other Related Subjects 76 

XI. Special Days 83 

XII. Cooperation of Parents and Teachers 91 

Appendix 99 



» 



The "unfolding personality' of the child presents 
one of the most fascinating studies in the world. 

The study of trees, birds, flowers, and animals, may 
be interesting, but such study does not for one mo- 
ment compare with the beauty to be found in the 
study of the child, the most wonderful miracle of 
them all. But child study is not only interesting and 
wonderful; it is an imperative necessity if success in 
dealing with children shall be assured. It is only 
through a knowledge of characteristics and an under- 
standing of needs that any measure of success may 
be attained. 

This study is twofold : first, what might be termed 
general child study, in which the group is the basis 
of study and the characteristics and needs at each par- 
ticular stage of development are ascertained ; and sec- 
ond, special child study, which deals with the indi- 
vidual child. 

There are many different avenues through which 
this study may be pursued. Where there are chil- 
dren in the home, the most interesting opportunity 
presents itself ; but when that is denied, there are chil- 
dren everywhere. 



tKfje JJrtmarp department 

There is an abundance of written material at hand. 
Books, articles, magazines, present an inexhaustible 
array of helpful material. 

There is still another avenue of child study which 
is open to everyone. It is the avenue through which 
he himself has passed — his own childhood. It lives 
in his memory. 

Van Dyke in "The Child in the Garden,' causes 
the man who desired to enter in to the "land of un- 
troubled thought" to say: 

And just inside the gate there stood a child — 
A stranger child yet to my heart most dear; 

He held his hands to me and smiled 

With eyes which held no shade of sin or fear. 

' ' Come in, ? ' he said, * ' and play awhile with me ; 

I am the little child you used to be. ? ' 

He who communes often with "the child he used 
to be" will have a clearer appreciation of the joys, 
the sorrows, the ambitions, of the child he seeks to 
know, as well as a deeper understanding of his char- 
acteristics. 

One thing must be constantly borne in mind: in 
order to study the child successfully he must be stud- 
ied when not under restraint. Often the boy who 
seems most sluggish in the schoolroom will, when he 
goes to the woods to gather wild flowers or to admire 
the autumn foliage, climb the fastest to the top of the 
tallest tree or swing out most fearlessly from the long- 
est limb. 

Then, too, he, who studies a child most successfully 
must first find the child's point of interest. It is safe 



W$t $rimarp Cfnlb 



to say that no boy or girl lives who is not interested 
in something if that thing can be discovered. 

At no time is the child more interesting than while 
he is a Primary child, and at no time may he be more 
easily approached for study. 

One of his strongest characteristics at this stage is 
responsiveness. He gives himself, without reserve, to 
those who have won his confidence and love, and his 
life is like an open book to his friends. At this period, 
too, the child is possessed of an abounding activity. 
His body is constantly in motion and his mind is ever 
on the alert. 

He has a strong power of imagination, and that 
imagination creates for him an atmosphere which sur- 
rounds him and which colors every event and condi- 
tion of his life. He is very original and thinks out 
things so thoroughly that it is hard for him to under- 
stand why those who are older grown cannot, or do 
not, follow him in his reasoning. 

A teacher gave each of her children a piece of paper 
and a pair of scissors, with the instructions that each 
should cut anything he wanted to from the paper, and 
then she would examine what they all had done. They 
were very busy for a while ; then the teacher walked 
up and down the aisles, commending the work. One 
child had cut out a bird, another a boat, another a 
house. Indeed, she found all sorts of things displayed 
for her approval. 

When she came to Jimmie's desk she was sorely 
tried, for he had cut the paper into little, narrow 



8 Qpfje $rimarp 3Bepartment 

strips and laid, them in a neat pile. "Why, Jimmie," 
she said, ' ' I wanted you to make something out of your 
paper." "I did," he mildly suggested. "Oh, no," 
she said, "you have just cut your paper into strips. 
You haven't made anything." 

Then Jimmie assumed an air of injured innocence. 
With indignant tears standing in his eyes, he asserted : 
"I did make something out of my paper! Them's 
noodles ! ' ' 

The Primary child has the power of imitation in a 
marked degree. He not only observes very closely 
every expression, every gesture, every tone, of those 
he admires, but he becomes a miniature copy of the 
life about him. 

He is fond of play, and through his play, many 
valuable lessons may be taught him. As the little girl 
cares for her doll, washing it, dressing it, feeding it, 
putting it to sleep, caressing it, or punishing it, as the 
case may be, we see in her the little mother of the fu- 
ture. One mother stated that her daughter was in 
training for a nurse. "Oh, yes," she said, "Helen 
always knew that she would be a nurse. When, as a 
little child, she played with her dolls, those dolls were 
always sick. Her one great mission seemed to be to 
nurse them, but they never really got well. Some- 
times her little friend, when she came in, would say, 
' Isn 't that cKild well yet V " 

The little boy in early years plays with his toy en- 
gine, makes a long train of cars by setting chairs one 
behind the other, keeps a store, preaches to imaginary 



tEfje $rimarp Cftilb 



congregations ; and his play often reveals what work 
will claim his attention in later life. 

The Primary child is learning to get along with 
other people. He has entered upon his school life and 
his circle of friends as well as his circle of experi- 
ences is constantly widening. 

He is naturally affectionate, and his love for his 
teacher is supreme. Sometimes the teacher almost 
rivals father and mother for first place in his heart. 
So intense is his love that he will go to almost any 
length to prove it. 

One little boy, who had been in school but a short 
time, greatly admired his teacher. One day he came 
home looking very woebegone. His mother soon dis- 
covered what the trouble was : he had been taken out 
of Miss Howard's room and placed in another room. 
He w T anted his mother to go with him and have him 
changed back again, but the mother was a sensible 
mother. She thought that the people at the school 
knew what was right to do ; so she didn 't go. After- 
wards she found out what happened. Bob hurried to 
school and when Miss Howard came he slipped in with 
her; when they reached the room he said: "Miss 
Howard, I don't want to go in that other room. I 
w^ant to stay in your room. May I stay ? ' Miss How- 
ard explained that the change had already been made. 
She was sorry, she said, but she thought he would have 
to stay in the new room to which he had been assigned. 
"But Miss Howard," he said, "I just love you and 
I want to stay in your room. ' ' 



10 W$t $rimarp department 

■^■^— -II. I ■ »^— — ■■! .1 I II ■ I I I I. — „ | , — , ^ m 

Miss Howard was touched and she hardly knew 
what to say. Then she had an inspiration. "Well, 
Bob, ' ' she said, " 1 11 tell you how it is ! You see, you 
know too much to be in my room. You are too smart, 
and that is the reason you have been changed into an- 
other room ! ' She thought that now surely she had 
satisfied him. 

He looked at the floor earnestly for a moment ; then 
looking up with shining eyes into hers, he said sol- 
emnly, "Oh, Miss Howard, if you 11 only let me stay 
in your room 111 promise not to be too smart!' So 
eager is the little child to prove his love for his teacher. 

The Primary child is teachable, lovable, and very 
easily led. Many of the problems which confront the 
teacher in dealing with children at other times are 
either absent or, at least, more easily solved at this 
particular stage in his life. 

Review Questions 

1. What is understood by "general" child study? 

2. What is understood by "special" child study? 

3. Name four opportunities for child study. 

4. Give an example of a child's powers of imagina- 
tion and imitation. 

5. Of what value is the play instinct to the Primary 
child? 



II 

Gfl&e tEeacfier 

At each stage of his development, the child should 
have a teacher who is fitted to meet his needs at that 
particular time. The study of the child as given in 
the previous chapter will suggest the qualities to be 
sought in the teacher. 

First of all, those who deal with the Primary child 
must have a love for little children. It is safe to say 
that no one, no matter how thoroughly trained, can 
successfully teach little children without having a nat- 
ural love for them. This love is the only thing that 
will enable her to understand the child, the only thing 
that will make it possible for her to deal with a na- 
ture as sensitive as a delicate, unfolding flower. 

There is an interesting story recorded in the old 
Jewish Talmud of a time when all Palestine was suf- 
fering from a terrible drought. Day after day and 
week after week the rain had held off. Everything 
was dying. The people were becoming discouraged. 
At last the heads of the old Jewish Church came to- 
gether to pray for rain. First the priests prayed and 
then the Pharisees. Still the rain held off. Then the 
scribes and rabbis prayed, but no rain came. At last 
there arose from the crowd an obscure man, who, bow- 

11 



12 Gtfje 3Prtmarp department 

ing his head, poured forth his whole soul in prayer. 
Almost before his words had ceased, He who causes 
his winds to blow and his rains to fall had covered 
the heavens with clouds, which burst and poured their 
refreshing burden upon the parched and suffering 
earth. The people were astonished. Turning to the 
man they said, "Who art thou that God should hear 
and answer thy prayer when he refused to hear and 
answer ours ? ' ' Then the man, standing before them, 
said, earnestly and humbly, "I am a teacher of little 
children ! ' ' 

The natural activity of little children demands on 
the part of the teacher an ingenuity which will enable 
her to direct that activity. Whether the results of the 
work are good or bad, depends largely upon whether 
this activity is directed or undirected. The teacher 
must be able to invent ways and find means to make 
use of all activities both of body and of mind. 

The teacher must also have an endowment of pa- 
tience that is inexhaustible. The frequent change of 
position, the constant change of thought, and the vari- 
ous demands upon her, call for unbounded patience. 

She must be resourceful, ready to accept any 
situation that faces her and master it. Perhaps no- 
where, in the whole realm of Sunday-school work, is 
this so necessary as in dealing with little children. 
The lesson may be ever so carefully prepared: the 
teacher may know just how she is going to 1 approach 
the lesson ; just how she is going to bring out the one 
great central thought ; just how she is going to illus- 



W&t GTeacfjer 13 



trate it; just how she is going to clinch it and send 
the child out to give expression to it in life. But some- 
thing happens, the little accident, the little incident, 
which overthrows all of her well-laid plans; and she 
must be able to master the situation, to gather up the 
broken threads. She must be ready for the little ac- 
cident, the little incident, and use these to advantage. 
She must always have plenty of reserve power. 

The teacher must be imaginative. She has to deal 
with the child who is living in a world that is all his 
own, a world which his imagination creates for him; 
and she must be able to enter into that world w T ith 
him. If she allows herself to be barred out from that 
w r orld, she is separated from the child just w T hen she 
should be nearest to him. 

Because of the child's strong power of imitation, 
the teacher must make herself worthy of imitation. 
The teacher holds an exalted place in the child's opin- 
ion; he loves her in these early years with a devo- 
tion that is indescribable. It is natural that he should 
take the teacher for his ideal, but the teacher must be 
worthy of this idealization. She must be particular 
about her looks, about the way she is dressed, about 
the tones of her voice, about her attitude while in the 
house of God, about the way in which she handles 
God's Book as she teaches it. These little boys and 
girls are close observers and successful imitators. 

It is even more essential that the teacher's life be 
pure and strong and true. Little folks sit and look 
into the teacher's eyes as they listen to her; but, in 



14 W&t iprimarp Apartment 

reality, they are doing far more than that; they are 
looking down deep into her heart, and they know what 
is written there. The child knows whether the teacher 
is leading such a life #s she is teaching him to lead, 
for he is a wonderful character reader, and his sensi- 
tive nature detects the false note unerringly. As Dr. 
Brumbaugh has said, ' i To know is good ; to do is bet- 
ter; but to be is best!" This should be the watch- 
word of every Primary teacher. 

The Primary teacher must be sympathetic. Because 
the child in her care is living in the play world, she 
must be able to enjoy his play life with him. She 
must understand his play life. She must understand 
that much which seems trivial to her is vital to 
him. 

There is another thing, too, which must be charac- 
teristic of the Primary teacher, and that is an utter 
forgetfulness of self. An unconsciousness of self 
which will enable her to be insensible to outside in- 
fluences while she is at work is indispensable. No 
teacher is so often compelled to do her work in the 
presence of others as the teacher of little children. 
Visitors to the school flock to the departments where 
the younger children are; parents are often, on ac- 
count of the timidity of little children, compelled to 
stay in the room with them. This is sometimes a 
severe trial. Teachers naturally qualified for the work 
and successfully trained for it have often failed be- 
cause they have had to teach in the presence of such 
visitors. So many teachers have said, ' ■ Oh ! if I could 



tSTfje GCeacfjer 15 



only have my children to myself, I could do so much 
better work." 

It is told of Michelangelo that when he was at work 
he always had a little lamp fastened to his forehead, 
in order that the shadow of himself might be thrown 
back of him and not upon the canvas where he was 
painting. So the teacher of little children must have 
ever before her the little lamp of self-forgetfulness. 
For her there must be no one present but the chil- 
dren she is teaching. 

Training the Teacher 

In addition to these natural qualifications, there are 
some things which must be acquired by the teacher if 
she is to be successful in the teaching of little chil- 
dren. 

She should take advantage of every opportunity for 
self-culture. No teacher should neglect to take her 
denominational standard course in teacher-training. 
Sometimes a teacher is heard to say, "No, I am not 
taking teacher- training ; I just teach the little chil- 
dren ! ' If there is anyone who has the need of train- 
ing, it is the teacher of little children. 

This is true because it is absolutely necessary 

1. That the teacher should know the child, not 
merely from observation but by a careful study of 
facts which have been brought out by students of child 
nature. 

2. That she should know the book she is teaching. 
The impressions made upon the child mind and heart 



16 W$t $Jrtmarp department 

are strong and lasting. If mistakes are made in teach- 
ing the Bible, it is most difficult later to efface and 
correct those mistakes. Unless the teacher is willing 
to give time and strength to careful study, she has no 
right to assume the responsibility of teaching. 

3. That she should know a great deal about meth- 
ods, which change so constantly as teachers learn bet- 
ter ways of working. 

4. That she should know about Sunday-school man- 
agement. It is not enough to know just that part of 
the work which is her own. She must have a general 
conception of the whole scheme if she would rightly 
understand her own part and its relation to the 
whole. 

There is also need of some special training in addi- 
tion to the teacher-training course. This should in- 
clude a careful study of story-telling, of handwork, 
and of missionary and temperance teaching. The 
growing teacher must be in touch with every organi- 
zation that will give her inspiration and help — teach- 
ers' meetings, the graded union, conventions, and in- 
stitutes, both in her own denomination and in inter- 
denominationl gatherings. She must seek the ac- 
quaintance of others who are doing work similar to 
her own. She must visit other schools that she may 
learn from observation. 

In short, the teacher of little children should read, 
study, think, and then wisely apply to her own work 
what she has thus learned, by keeping in close touch 
with the great Teacher. 



Sfte Steadier 17 



Review Questions 

1. What determines the necessary qualifications of 

a teacher ^ -u 

2. Name five natural characteristics that a teacher 

of Primary children should have. 

3. Tell some ways in which a teacher may acquire 
valuable qualifications. 

4. Why should the Primary teacher have caretul 

training ? -i 

5. In what branches should a Primary teacher spe- 
cialize ! 



Ill 

Wbt gtfanbarb for tfje $rtmarp department 

A standard is no new thing. There have been spir- 
itual standards ever since time began. Moses went 
up into the mountain and talked with God. When he 
came down he had two tablets upon which was writ- 
ten a standard by which the people were to live ; and 
those Commandments are still a standard. Paul, in 
his letters to the churches, set up some wonderful 
standards. 

There was never a more definite standard than that 
set up by the great Teacher in the Sermon on the 
Mount. Indeed, Jesus was constantly setting up 
standards for his followers. 

In later years standards have been used for mate- 
rial things as well. Length is measured in inches, 
feet, and yards. "Weight is measured in ounces, 
pounds, and tons. Bulk is measured in quarts, pecks, 
and bushels. It is the natural thing to weigh and 
measure and compare ; and it is the natural thing to 
set a goal and then try to reach it. 

It is no wonder then that in order to promote effi- 
ciency standards should be used in Sunday-school 
work. Neither is it strange that the first standard 
of this kind should have been erected by the teach- 

18 



Wfyt gbtanbarb for tfje JSrtmarp JBfpartment 19 

ers of little children. It was during an institute in 
connection with the International Convention, which 
was held in Toronto, Ontario, in 1905, that a com- 
mittee was appointed to work out a standard for the 
Primary Department. A simple standard consisting 
of six points was proposed and accepted. As the 
years have passed on, conditions have changed, new 
features have been introduced into the work, and new 
points have been added to the standard, until now 
we have for the Elementary Division a standard of 
thirteen points, as follows: 

Elementary Standard of Efficiency 

Organization 

1. A Cradle Roll (birth to three or four years). 

2. Beginners Department (or class), children four and 

five.* 

3. Primary Department (or class), children six, seven, and 

eight. 

4. Junior Department (or class), children nine, ten, and 

eleven, or nine, ten, eleven, and twelve, if prepared, 
and so f orth.f 

Equipment 

5. Separate room, or separation by curtains or screens for 

each Department. 

6. Blackboard, pictures, objects, and so forth, used in all 

three Departments. 

Instruction 

7. Graded Lessons for the Beginners. 



* If children under four years of age attend Sunday school, special 
provision should be made for them in a Cradle Roll Class. 

t A number of denominations have already adopted the suggestion 
made by the Sunday School Council of Evangelical Denominations to 
adopt, if desired, the grouping of ages nine, ten, and eleven for the 
Junior Department. This is generally looked upon as the coming ar- 
rangement. 



20 apfje iprimarp department 

$8. Graded Lessons (or Supplemental with the Uniform 
Lessons) for the Primary. (Note that Departmental 
Graded Lessons fill this requirement.) 

$9. Graded Lessons (or Supplemental with the Uniform 
Lessons) for the Junior. 

10. Correlated missionary instruction. 

11. Correlated temperance instruction. 

12. Eegular annual promotion day. 

Training 

13. Each teacher a graduate or student in a training course, 

a community training school, or a school of prin- 
ciples and methods, also continuing the specialized 
training in a Graded Union or by reading one spe- 
cialization book a year. 

It will be noticed that all of these points seem to be 
of a material character. It is true that back of every 
point in the standard there is a principle, and that 
these principles really rest upon a spiritual basis ; but 
as the spiritual basis is not in evidence, it is, too often, 
not discerned at all by those who are using the stand- 
ards. 

For this reason it has seemed wise to present a 
standard which should have absolutely and unmistak- 
ably a spiritual goal. This was not a simple thing to 
do. It is very easy indeed to "check up" on the me- 
chanical or material points. It is easy to find out 
whether a school has a Cradle Roll; whether it has 
a separate place for each of its several departments; 
whether it is using Graded Lessons, and so forth ; but 
it is a very different proposition to measure the spirit- 
ual results. 



$ Some denominations recognize only Graded Lessons. 



®fje i§>tanfoarb for tfje ^rtmarp JBepartment 21 

It has taken several years of earnest effort on the 
part of interested, experienced Elementary workers, 
and many extended conferences together, to work out 
this problem and present a standard which should 
really meet this demand, a standard which should 
state the aims in terms of the child as well as set forth 
the means by which these aims should be accomplished. 
These new standards have now been formally ac- 
cepted both by the Sunday School Council of Evan- 
gelical Denominations and by the Executive Commit- 
tee of the International Sunday School Association. 
The standards are arranged separately for the four 
departments which make up the Elementary Division, 
i. e., the Cradle Roll, the Beginners Department, the 
Primary Department, and the Junior Department. 

There is only one way of judging the spiritual re- 
sults of the work done, i. e., by the conduct of the 
child. This is the one way of knowing whether the 
w T ork is doing for the child, at any stage of his de- 
velopment, all that it should do. If he becomes what 
he ought to become at that period of his life, it is 
proved, quite conclusively, that the work done for him 
has been "up to the standard." The plan, then, has 
been to study the child at each of the various stages 
of his development, decide what his conduct should 
be at that time, or what he should become, and then 
outline the means necessarily employed in producing 
these ends. 

As a result of all this the following Standard for 
the Primary Department has been evolved : 



22 tEfce $frtmarp Bepartment 

The Standard for the Primary Department 

The standard for a Primary Department is that which it is 
possible for a child to become during the years of six, seven, 
and eight. 

What the child becomes manifests itself in conduct. 

Conduct 

I. The conduct of the Primary child may manifest: 

1. Love, trust, reverence, and obedience to God the 

Father and Jesus Christ the Saviour. 

2. Recognition of the heavenly Father in daily life. 

3. Love for God through worship. 

4. Love and reverence for God's Book, God's day, and 

God's house. 

5. Increasing power to act in response to ever-enlarg- 

ing ideas of what is right and desirable. 

6. Increasing spirit of obedience and helpfulness. 

7. Increasing power to give love and forget self in 

social relations. 

Aims 

II. To realize these ends in conduct the child must have: 

1. A knowledge of God in his love, care, might, and 

power to give help and guidance. 

2. A consciousness of God as the heavenly Father and 

Jesus Christ the Helper and Saviour. 

3. Experience and training in worship. 

4. Happy associations with God's Book, God's day, 

and God's house. 

5. Instruction concerning what is right and wrong, 

proper examples, and opportunities for choosing 
the right. 

6. Opportunities for helpfulness. 

7. Opportunities for play and service in cooperation 

with others. 

Means 

III. As means for realizing these ends, provision should be 
made for: 

1. Eeligious instruction and religious experience suited 
to the children of Primary age, secured through : 
(a) The use of Primary Graded Lessons. 



QWje gbtanbarb for tfje $rimarp department 23 

(b) Graded Primary Supplemental Lessons, with 

the Uniform Lessons when used. (Some 
denominations recognize only Graded Les- 
sons. ) 

(c) The story method, with pictures, blackboard, 

and illustrative material. 

(d) Graded correlated missionary instruction. 

(e) Graded correlated temperance instruction. 

2. Worship which expresses the child's religious feel- 

ing, secured through: 

(a) Appropriate service of worship. 

(b) Eeverent atmosphere and proper environ- 

ment. 

(c) The teacher's spirit and manner. 

(d) Contact w T ith nature. 

3. An environment which inspires order and reverence, 

and is conducive to worship and work, secured by : 

(a) A separate room (curtained or screened 

place, where a room is not available), light 
and well ventilated. 

(b) Attractive decorations and arrangement. 

(c) Comfortable chairs and class tables. 

(d) Adequate material for teachers and children. 

(e) A separate program for entire session, where 

a room is available. 

4. Opportunities for self-expression alone and with 

others, secured through : 

(a) Worship in song, prayer, and Scripture. 

(b) Conversation, retelling of stories, recalling 

memory verses, and handwork. 

(c) Giving, which includes missionary offerings. 

(d) Unselfishness, self-control, and acts of serv- 

ice. 

5. Teachers qualified by nature, training, and reli- 

gious experience, that is, teachers who 

(a) Possess a sympathetic understanding of child 

life. 

(b) Have a personality attractive and helpful to 

children. 

(c) Seek frequent contact with little children in 

their home, school, and play life. 

(d) Graduates or students in a training course, 

a community ._ training school, or a school 
of principled %nd methods. 



24 gcfje ^ttmarp department 

(e) Are continuing their specialized training in 

a Graded Union or by the reading of one 
specialization book a year. 

(f) Lead a sincere Christian life. 

6. Children, six, seven, and eight years of age grouped 
into a class or department, according to age, in- 
terest, and ability. 

(a) In a small school a Primary class separate 

from other classes. 

(b) In a larger school, a Primary Department, 

with a superintendent, officers, class teach- 
ers, and classes comprising not more than 
eight children. 

(c) Class groups: 

1. Children approximately six years of age 

in first-year grade or classes. 

2. Children approximately seven years of 

age in second-year grade or classes. 

3. Children approximately eight years of 

age in third-year grade or classes. 

(d) Promotion of children from grade to grade 

■within the Department, graduation from 
the third grade into the Junior Depart- 
ment with recognition on the annual pro- 
motion day. 

Review Questions 

1. Why is it necessary to have a standard in Sun- 
day-school work? 

2. Why should the spiritual aim of the standard be 
apparent ? 

3. What is the basis for the new Elementary Stand- 
ards? 

4. State the aim of the Standard for the Primary 
Department : and tell what conduct it is based upon. 

5. State briefly the means necessary to attain this 
end. 



IV 

W&t fHace 

The important part that place plays in the accom- 
plishment of the aims for the Primary child is begin- 
ning to be understood. The fact that personality is 
the greatest of all the influences that come into the 
child's life has been recognized; but it has also been 
discovered that place is a close second to personality. 
The personality of the teacher is a mighty force among 
the many forces that enter into the development of the 
child, but the place where he does his Sunday-school 
work is also to be considered. 

It is desired that the child we teach shall, as he 
grows to manhood, honor the house of God and want 
to worship there. If this desire is to be fulfilled, it is 
very plain that he must learn early in life to rever- 
ence the house of God. Certain elements that charac- 
terize the place will determine whether or not this rev- 
erence is instilled. 

First of all, there must be the element of owner-- 
ship. In the heart of the child the love of ownership 
is very strong. Those who can look back over life to 
the time when possession of a room in the home was 
given, will remember what an important event it was. 
As this experience is recalled different pictures are 

25 



26 QTfje iPrtmarp department 



produced. In some cases, there is a fine, large room 
with dainty furnishings; in others there is a plain, 
little room with nothing in it that was not absolutely 
necessary for comfort. But it matters not which pic- 
ture is awakened ; one thing is always true ; the mo- 
ment when possession of that room was given was one 
of the proudest, happiest moments in the life of the 
possessor 1 . 

A little boy about twelve years of age was escorting 
a Sunday-school worker to her place of entertainment 
during a county convention. He was carrying her 
black bag, which she realized was altogether too heavy 
for him to carry; but she understood boys so well 
that she knew better than to hint that anything was 
too heavy for him to carry or anything too hard for 
him to do. As he trudged bravely along beside her, 
swinging the bag from one hand to the other, she 
talked to him so that he might forget how heavy the 
bag really was. 

She remarked upon the beauty of the new school 
building in which the meeting was to be held, and 
particularly upon the fine auditorium in which the 
sessions were to be conducted. He agreed with her 
that it was. a fine room, but added, "It was an awfully 
hard room to decorate." 

"Were you interested in the decorating?' she 
asked. 

"Oh, yes!" he answered, with an air of great im- 
portance, "me and a couple of other fellows did it!' 

"Well, I am surprised," she said. "I noticed how 



ftfje $lace 27 

beautiful it was, with the flags and the bunting; and 
do you mean to say that you and two other boys 
did it?" 

"Well," he said slowly, "you know that man who 
w r as in his shirt sleeves — the janitor of the building — 
well, he — helped — us — some!" 

Later, that twelve-year-old boy who had carried her 
black bag w T as present at every one of the six sessions 
of the convention, and there was no one there, from 
the dignified presiding officer down to the delegate 
for the farthest outlying district, w 7 ho w r as more in- 
terested than he was in making things go successfully. 
Why was it? It was his convention! He and "a 
couple of other fellows ' ' had decorated the room ! 

The story is told of Mark Guy Pearce that, noticing 
one Sunday the deep interest shown by one of the 
small boys to whom he was showing some pictures, he 
gave him a picture and told him to hang it upon his 
wall at home. The boy hesitated about taking it and 
finally said, "We haven't any wall at home.' 
"Haven't any wall? How can that be?" he was 
asked. Then came the pathetic explanation. Five 
families lived in the room where the little lad lived. 
Each of the other four families lived in a corner and 
his family lived in the middle and had no wall. 

Too many Primary Departments have no wall on 
which to hang their pictures, no place of their own ! 
A separate place should be provided for each depart- 
ment of the Elementary Division. The Primary De- 
partment should have a room of its own if possible, 



28 Wqt Ifrrimarp department 

but at least a corner or a spot of its own. This greatly 
facilitates the work, for much better results can be 
secured when the children are by themselves, where 
their attention can be concentrated upon their own 
exercises, and where the exercises as a whole may be 
planned to meet the needs of the children and to ap- 
peal to them in every detail 

There must also be the elements of order and neat- 
ness. The Primary room, or corner, should always be 
orderly, and neat in every particular. The impres- 
sions made upon little children are strong and lasting, 
and great care should be taken that they be also de- 
sirable. Moreover, no child can work well in a place 
that is disorderly and in confusion. 

Upon entering a Primary room where piles of left- 
over papers and other literature may be seen gather- 
ing dust upon the seats, or under the seats, or on the 
table, or organ, or window sill, the question arises : 
"Will this help to awaken a feeling of reverence in 
the child's heart?" The sight of the quilting stretch- 
ers leaning against the wall, waiting until the Ladies' 
Aid gets ready to complete the work upon them, 
arouses the query: "Is this conducive to an attitude 
of reverence in the child ? ' ' Sometimes it seems as if 
the room occupied by the Primary Department is 
used as a place into which to ' ' dump ' ' everything that 
borders on waste material, or which has no real place 
of its own. This is not a trifling matter at all, but a 
vital consideration. 

Again, there should be the elements of attractive- 



Wbe $lace 29 

ness and comfort. The place for the Primary De- 
partment should be not only clean, neat, and orderly ; 
it should also be as attractive and comfortable as it is 
possible to make it. If the child comes from a beau- 
tiful home, this will preserve harmony for him and 
avoid the shock of contrast ; if he comes from a home 
of poverty with its inevitable bareness, the beauty of 
the Sunday-school room may be a bright spot in his 
life, the influence of which cannot be easily esti- 
mated. 

It will be interesting to look into a few Primary 
rooms which have been made attractive for the little 
people. One has its walls tinted in a light tan color- 
ing, relieved by a border, placed just on a level with 
the children's eyes, made up of the figures of little 
children dressed in bright colors. A frieze which 
looks like a bit of garden extends from the ceiling ; 
many-hued hollyhocks are there, and from behind 
them are peeping the laughing faces of little children. 
A Madonna hangs on one wall and a picture of 
Christ Blessing Little Children on another. On the 
floor is a bright, red carpet, and around the long, 
low, narrow tables are tiny red chairs. There is an 
air of cheeriness about the room which makes it very 
attractive. 

Another room is done in a dainty combination of 
white and old blue. The carpet is of dull old blue, 
and the woodwork is white. The teachers themselves 
painted the woodwork, and as they had purchased a 
large quantity of the paint, they painted the little 



30 ®f)e IJrtmarp department 



chairs white also. At the windows are inexpensive 
white curtains with a border stenciled in blue. 

In this room the Beginners and Primary children 
meet together for the devotional services. Hanging 
from the ceiling is a white cradle with all its dainty 
belongings. Fastened to it by narrow blue ribbons 
are tiny cards which bear the names of the Cradle 
Roll babies. The cradle is suspended from the ceil- 
ing by wide blue ribbons, so arranged that the cradle 
may be lowered to receive the new cards as they are 
added. Pictures of The Good Shepherd and The Boy 
Jesus in His Nazareth Home adorn the w T alls. 

Dingy gas fixtures are concealed by graceful sprays 
of various colored sweet peas, so skillfully made of 
crepe paper that the looker-on finds himself attempt- 
ing to drink in the perfume. The daintiness of the 
room appeals to everyone who sees it. 

Another beautiful room is painted white, and its 
hangings are all in a warm tan color. These hangings 
are so arranged on curtain rods at the doors and win- 
dows that the three grades may be separated for the 
study of the lesson. The little chairs and tables are 
white, and the superintendent's desk and table, the 
small upright piano, and the cabinet, must have sug- 
gested the draperies, for they are of exactly the same 
shade. In one corner stands a little " birthday chair' 
with a bunch of rosebuds attached to it by a bow of 
tulle. The picture of Little Samuel, a Sistine Ma- 
donna, and The Gifts of the Wise Men are upon the 
wall. It is a quiet, restful, attractive place. 



ftfje $lace 31 

Then look into a one-room school in which a Pri- 
mary teacher has made the best of her circumstances. 
In one corner of the church room were some pews set 
at right angles to the main body of seats. For a long 
time these benches were used for the Primary chil- 
dren, but they were very uncomfortable. Then, too, 
the children were constantly distracted by w r hat w T as 
going on in other parts of the room, and they were 
continually attracting the attention of the school to 
what was going on in their corner. At last the teacher 
prevailed upon the Sunday-school board to remove 
those few benches from the corner. She was then 
able to put a few little chairs in that spot. She en- 
listed some of the older boys to make the framework 
for some screens to place around the chairs and thus 
set the corner apart. She selected a quiet-tinted filling 
w T hich blended harmoniously with the wall decora- 
tions. She cannot put any pictures on the wall, but 
she has a few which she can attach very easily and 
very quickly to the inner side of the screen. 

This teacher has charge of the Cradle Roll work, 
also. Fastened to her screen there is an attractive 
roll which she made herself. On a large piece of card- 
board she painted a bunch of lovely half -blown roses. 
They seem to be tied with white ribbons, and these 
ribbons hang in different lengths. At the end of 
each ribbon is the outline of a rosebud. Every time 
a new name is added to the roll, she fills in a bud, 
and the name and date of birth are indicated be- 
low. 



32 tCfje Jirtmarp department 

Across the top of a small blackboard which rests 
upon an easel, this teacher often places a bit of decora- 
tion suggestive of the season. It may be a wild grape- 
vine at one time, or a great bunch of pussy willows 
at another. She has a small silk American flag — for 
even in this little corner boys and girls may learn 
to salute the flag — and a Christian flag, also. 

In one small school a tiny room was partitioned off, 
and its bareness relieved by simple autumn decora- 
tions. The little chairs were grouped about very 
crude-looking tables, which gave unmistakable evi- 
dences of having been made by hand, and an amateur 
hand at that. With great pride the teacher explained 
that after several vain attempts to have the tables 
purchased, her pastor had made them for her. 

It is all too easy to settle back and take it for 
granted that the things that are needed for the work 
cannot be secured. But when it is understood that a 
proper place and proper surroundings are absolutely 
necessary to insure the best results, there will be 
a way to get them. The ideal place will have good 
light, good air, conveniences which will enable the 
teachers and pupils to remove their wraps, comfort- 
able chairs, tables, and all possible equipment to add 
to its comfort and its beauty. 

Review Questions 

1. Name several elements that should enter into the 
place where a child does his work in Sunday school. 

2. Why should the child have a place of his own ? 



Zl)t $lace 33 

3. Why should the place be comfortable and at- 
tractive ? 

4. Describe a Primary room that you would like. 

5. How would you arrange for a separate place for 
the Primary Department when a room is not available ? 



tCfje program 

First of all, there must be a program. There are 
Primary Departments, and even whole schools, in 
which a program seems to be an unknown quantity. 

The program should be carefully prepared, clearly 
defined, and thoughtfully worked out. Furthermore, 
it should be a written program. A written program is 
sometimes thought a sign of weakness. On the con- 
trary it is a sign of strength. 

One Primary teacher who was especially successful 
was so progressive that more than thirty years ago 
she had most of the things that are being sought so 
earnestly to-day. She had a separate room for her 
Primary Department and she had the pupils there 
during the whole session. She had a complete set of 
officers, a musical instrument, and little chairs. Her 
Department was divided into classes, with a teacher 
for each class. Furthermore, it was a graded Pri- 
mary Department. She had supplemental work, care- 
fully planned for four grades. This was printed upon 
slips which were in the hands of teachers and parents. 
The children were examined orally, and regularly 
promoted from grade to grade. No one could ques- 
tion the strength of this earnest, consecrated super- 

34 



3H[)e program 35 



intendent; yet she was never known to come before 
her Department for work without having her program 
written out. 

If the program for each week is written in a small 
book, the various programs may be preserved indefi- 
nitely. The advantages of this plan are very appar- 
ent. It saves time which would otherwise be lost in 
deciding what song to sing next, or what to do next. 
It aids, too, in giving to the program a variety which 
plays a large part in its charm. By carefully review- 
ing and comparing, just enough of a change may be 
made to furnish the variety. It is true that the pro- 
gram must be elastic. Nowhere is this more necessary 
than in the Primary Department. Nevertheless the 
program should be carefully planned at the outset. 

Certain elements must enter into every well-rounded 
program : 

I. Worship 

A very essential part of the service is the worship, 
for it gives the child the opportunity to express his 
love and praise to the heavenly Father. The worship 
consists in the music, Scripture, prayer, and giving. 

1. Music. The music should be carefully selected. 
The songs must be appropriate to the place, the day, 
the time of day, the kind of day, the age of the chil- 
dren, and the thought which is to be emphasized. The 
music should be within the range of the children's 
voices and the words should be the kind which are 
worth while for them to memorize. The music should 
never be used to fill in the time, but every song should 



36 tKJje $Jrimarp department 

have its purpose and should be rendered in the true 
spirit of worship. 

2. Scripture. Beautiful responsive services may be 
used into which are woven the Scripture verses which 
our boys and girls are learning and which they should 
know perfectly. Years ago the children who went to 
Sunday school memorized many verses. Sometimes it 
consumed most of the time for class work to provide 
for the repetition of verses committed to memory. It 
is not desirable to return to this method, but have we 
not gone too far to the other extreme ? 

The constant use of beautiful Scripture verses will 
help to impress them upon the hearts of the children, 
and they will come to be a part of their lives. For in- 
stance, a little service like the following might be used 
at the opening of the session : 

Supt. — What day is this? 

Children. — "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we 
will rejoice and be glad in it. ' ' 

Supt. — How shall we keep this day? 

Children. — "Kemember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. " 

Supt. — How shall we serve God? 

Children. — " Serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing 

mind. ' ' 

Again : 
Supt. — From whom do all of our good gifts come? 

Children. — "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from 
above, coming down from the Father." 

Supt. — Who made the world so beautiful to live in? 

Children. — "He hath made every thing beautiful in its time." 

Supt. — How much does God love the world? 



tKfje program 37 



Children. — "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only 
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not 
perish, but have eternal life. " 

Supt. — How has God taught us to pray? 
All unite in The Lord's Prayer. 

3. Prayer. The power of prayer as a means of wor- 
ship cannot be measured ; and in many cases the child 
first learns to pray in Sunday school. Most children 
are taught to repeat a little prayer w r hen they go to 
bed, asking for God's care during the night; some 
are taught to repeat a prayer in the morning, asking 
for God's guidance through the day; but many chil- 
dren never hear the voice of father and mother lifted 
to God in petition. It is in the Sunday school that 
large numbers of them first learn to talk to the heav- 
enly Father, to bring to him the joys and the sorrows 
which make up their lives and the desires which fill 
their hearts. 

There should be several short prayers rather than 
one long prayer; and these prayers should be simple 
in expression and for definite things. The object 
should not be always to ask for something ; the pray- 
ers should embody praise and thanksgiving as well. 
Sometimes the children may repeat prayers which 
they have committed to memory ; sometimes they may 
follow the teacher as she repeats a prayer phrase by 
phrase; and sometimes they may listen while the 
teacher prays. It is important that in any case rever- 
ence should be expressed by the position, by the tone 
of voice, and by the atmosphere itself. 

4. Giving. The giving, too, should be a part of the 



') 



8 tCfte ^rtmarp department 



worship. In order to make it so, some interesting 
way of receiving the gifts should be devised, and the 
object to which the gifts are to be applied should be 
carefully explained. The word " penny' : should be 
eliminated as far as possible, and the children should 
become accustomed to the word "gift" or "offering/' 
The word "penny" has been so overworked that whole 
generations have grown up with the idea that a penny 
is the only proper gift to bring to Sunday school. 

The regular gifts may be received by means of some 
pretty little service, either in the separate classes or 
by the Department as a whole. Sometimes the chil- 
dren might march, singing a giving song. A "birth- 
day child" could hold the basket and let the offerings 
be dropped into it as the children pass. 

If it is desirable to keep the class offerings separate, 
the envelopes containing those offerings could be 
brought to the front. As a representative of the six- 
year-old children delivers their envelopes they might 
repeat their giving verse. "God loveth a cheerful 
giver." II Cor. 9 : 7. 

The seven-year-old children might say, "Freely ye 
received, freely give." Matt. 10:8. 

The eight-year-olds could repeat, "Every man shall 
give as he is able." Deut. 16:17. 

Then there should be special offerings. The birth- 
day offering has a great charm for little people, and 
this is especially true when they understand just how 
the money gathered is to be used. Whenever the bank 
is empty, it should be decided to what object the 



GTfje program 39 



money will be devoted when it is full again, and defi- 
nite instruction concerning the object should be given 
to the children. 

One Primary Department sends the contents of its 
birthday bank to advance the work of a former teacher 
in the Department who for more than twenty years 
has been working in a school for colored children in 
the South. While the bank is filling up, the children 
are frequently told interesting things about her work. 

A simple service should be held as the gift is re- 
ceived; a little birthday blessing is very fitting and 
more impressive than something more spectacular. 
Or let the birthday child bring his gift, and as he 
stands facing the Department the children may say 
something like this : 

Six years ago an angel sweet 

Looked down from heaven and smiled 
Because it was his joy to bring 

To earth a little child. 
And all these years the child has grown 

We've learned to love (him here — - 

(her 
"We hope he ? 11) wiser, better grow 
she'll) 

With every added year! 

A rather unique service was used in celebrating one 
birthday. The teacher asked, "Has anyone a birth- 
day offering to-day?' and a beautiful little girl re- 
sponded promptly. "Oh, " said the teacher, "it is 
Betty's birthday! Wouldn't you like to spell Betty's 
name ? Who can repeat a verse that begins with ' B ' ? ' 
The verse was given and then followed verses begin- 



40 W$t iprimarp department 

ning with the other letters found in the name 
" Betty." The children enjoyed the exercise. 

One Department has a " thankful bank" into which 
the children drop bits of money which they have saved 
to bring; as they do this they tell things for which 
they are thankful. One day a little girl dropped in a 
penny without saying anything. As she started to 
her seat the superintendent said: "Leah, we always 
tell something we are thankful for. What are you 
thankful for?" For a moment Leah was puzzled, 
then with a bright smile she said, 6 c Why, I am thank- 
ful because I had the penny ! " 

Sometimes a "sunshine bank" is operated in the 
same way, with the understanding that its contents 
are to be used to buy flowers to brighten the sick rooms 
of members of the Department. 

II. Business 

Business is a necessary element even in a Primary 
Department. The records must be carefully made, 
the supplies must be given out, the notices must be 
read; but all of these things should be so arranged 
that they will not interfere with the time set aside for 
instruction. 

III. Fellowship 

The element of fellowship may be introduced by a 
greeting for a new pupil, a prayer for a pupil who is 
detained at home by illness, a word of welcome to a 
child who has returned after an enforced absence, or 



®be program 41 



any thought that will strengthen the bond of sym- 
pathetic interest in one another. 

This interest should not be confined to the Depart- 
ment alone. It should extend to the members of the 
Cradle Roll, to the missionaries who represent the 
school in the home and foreign fields, to children in 
the hospitals, and to any class of people whose lives 
may be cheered and brightened through the simple 
ministrations of the children. 

IV. Instruction 

The most important element of all is the element 
of instruction, for the Primary Department is really 
a part of a school. The instruction is given through 
the regular lesson, the supplemental or the correlated 
lesson, the special missionary or temperance lessons. 

The time which is set aside for instruction should be 
sacred to teacher and pupils, nothing should be al- 
lowed to interrupt that work. Nor should there be 
any infringement upon this time. Whenever it is 
necessary to use part of the time of the session for 
some special purpose, that time should be deducted 
from the other periods and not from the lesson 
period. 

Ordinarily, the lesson and the correlated lesson 
should be taught by the class teacher. The correlated 
lesson is usually taught first and is followed by the 
regular lesson ; but it is best to have a little break be- 
tween the two. 

The missionary and temperance instruction may be 



42 Wt)t iPrimarp department 

given in different ways, sometimes as a general exer- 
cise and sometimes in the several classes. 

V, Expression 

No program is complete without the element of ex- 
pression. This enters in in different ways. It may 
be through a bit of handwork; the retelling of the 
story ; the dramatization of the story ; an appropriate 
song or prayer; the impressive moment of silence; 
the telling of how each one is going to live the lesson 
during the week. Anything which helps to make sure 
that the impression has been made and which gives 
opportunity to turn it into the proper channel is the 
expression sought. 

With these five elements in mind, it is not difficult 
to plan a program. A careful study of the relative 
importance of each will lead to a proper distribution 
of time. 

It will be necessary to take into consideration the 
conditions under which the work is being done. In 
the one-room school where all of the Primary children 
are in one class, the teacher will be compelled to ad- 
just her plans to the situation ; but she may still carry 
out most of the program when she is in the corner 
provided for her and shut off with curtains or screens. 
Every one of these elements may enter into her pro- 
gram. She may have the devotional service, with the 
exception of the music, and sometimes a whisper song 
may supply that. 

A program which is ready-made is merely sug- 



W$t program 43 



gestive, for each department superintendent should 
plan her own program. Help will be found in two 
books by Miss Marion Thomas. "Primary Lesson De- 
tail" and "Primary Programs.' These should be in 
the hands of every Primary superintendent. 

For the sake of suggestion, two programs are given : 

A PRIMARY DEPARTMENT PROGRAM 1 
Before Session 

Quiet music (for ten minutes while children and teachers gather 
and have conversation together). 

Marking of attendance and placing of stars on special attend- 
ance devices. If children are early they are allowed to 
place their own stars in position; if late, the teacher 
does so. 

Chords, Doxology, ' ' The Church, ' ' or some other reverential 
hymn to call classes to order. 

During Session 

I. Worship Service. 

1. Praise. After informally recalling reasons for praise 

and thanks sing ' ' Praise Ye the Lord ' ' (' ' Carols ' '). 

2. Thanksgiving prayer (children following clause by 

clause) or hymn of thanks: "Father, We Thank 
Thee for the Night," or "Children's Thank You 
Song" ("Melodies"). 

3. Scripture Responses: 

God 's Book — i c Thy word have I laid up in my 

heart. ' ' 
God 's day — * ' This is the day which the Lord hath 

made." 
God's house — "I was glad when they said unto me, 
Let us go unto the house of the Lord. ' ' 

or 
"Enter into his gates with thanks- 
giving, and into his courts with 
praise. ' ' 



1 Prepared by Miss Bertha Laine, Elementary Superintendent of 
Ontario, and used in the Walmer Road Baptist Church Bible School, 
Toronto, Ontario. 



44 ®jje 3Primarp department 

4. Hymn: 

"Holy Is the Lord" ("Carols") or 
"Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts" ("Melo- 
dies"). 

EI. Fellowship Service. 

1. Prayer for the sick and absent pupils. 

2. Welcome to new pupils and visitors. Song, "A Wel- 

come to You." 

3. Cradle Roll service: 

a. Enrolling new names, adding names to wall Roll. 

b. Song: "Cradle Roll Song" ("Carols"). 

c. Occasional visit of a baby. 

III. Instruction. 

1. Teaching new song or hymn (seasonal or general). 

2. Training in giving. 

a. Missionary. 

1. Birthday service (bank money for children 

. of other lands). 

2. Birthday offerings. 

3. Birthday song or prayer. 

4. Monthly birthday calendar verse repeated. 

5. Missionary story : ' ' Keystone ' ' every Sun- 

day in alternating grades. 

6. Missionary Scripture and song : " Go ye 

into all the world ..." 
Song: "Go Ye" ("Junior Hymns and 
Carols"). 

b. Maintenance. 

1. Scripture giving verses recited respensively. 

2. Offering; marching to worshipful music. 

3. Offering prayer hymn — "Dear Father, Our 

Offering We Bring Thee" (adapted from 
"Carols"). 

3. Religious instruction. 

a. Graded Lessons taught through story method, 

pictures, blackboard, objects, and other illus- 
trative material. 

b. Correlated missionary and temperance instruction. 

(Included in the Graded Courses.) 

IV. Expression. 

1. Story retold to teacher in class, also to parents at 
home. 



Cfje program 45 



2. Story picture: 

a. Drawn on paper at close of lesson. 

b. Pictured on sand table. 

c. Handwork: Folding, tearing, pasting. 

3. Story sung. Narrative song by the grade. 

4. Story written at home. 

5. Truths lived. 

PROGRAM FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN OCTOBER , 

9 : 00 — Quiet music. 

9 : 03 — Song : ' i Come, Come, People, Come. ' } 

9:05 — Supt. — "I was glad when they said unto me," 

All. — ' i Let us go unto the house of the Lord. ' ' 

Supt. — "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the 
Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most 
High." 

School response in song: "Praise Him, Praise Him" 
("Carols"). 

Supt. — ' ' Serve him with a perfect heart and with a will- 
ing mind. ? ' 

School response in song : i ' Serve Him, Serve Him. ' ' 

Supt. — "We love, because he first loved us." 

School reponse in song: "Love Him, Love Him." 

Supt. — i l O give thanks unto the Lord ; for he is good. ' ' 

School response in song : 1 1 Thank Him, Thank Him. ' ' 

Supt. — i l The Lord is in his holy temple. ' ' 

All. — "Let all the earth keep silence before him. " 

9:10 — Prayer by leader. 

9:12— Prayer song: "Father, We Thank Thee." 
Chord for sitting. 

9 : 14 — Missionary story by a class teacher with strong patri- 
otic note, in preparation for home mission offering 
toward which we are now working. 

9:17 — Few words stimulating use of mission envelopes. 
Emphasize love of country. 

9 : 18 — i i America, ' ' by school, standing. 



1 Arranged by Miss Alta L. Taylor, Elementary Superintendent of 
Summit County, and used in the First Christian Bible School, Akron, 
Ohio. 



46 CEtye ^rtmarp department 

9 : 22 — Supt. — What great gift has God given to us ( ? 

School. — "God so loved the world/' and so forth. 

Supt. — What does our Bible say about the way we ought 
to give! 

School. — "Freely ye received, freely give. " 

Supt. — What kind of giver pleases God? 

School. — ' ' God loveth a cheerful giver. ' ' 

Chord for school to stand. 

All. — I wish my gift the very best 
Of all I have to be, 
And so, dear Lord, I give my heart 
Filled full of love to thee. 

School inarches to front to drop offering, and sings 
1 ' Little Gifts for Jesus, ' ' teachers of classes, holding 
flags, make arches under which children pass to front. 
After march 

All. — Jesus, bless the money brought thee, 
Give it something sweet to do; 
May it help some one to love thee; 
Jesus, may we love thee, too. 

Chord for sitting. 

9:30— Song by school: "God's Gift of Day and Night " 
("Carols"). 

9:35 — Classes march to class tables to story hour and hand- 
work. 

10:05 — Classes re-form for worship period. 

10 : 07— Song by school : "He Knoweth ' > ( " Carols ' ' ) . 

10:10 — Banner classes for memory work honored. 

10 : 12 — Birthday service. 

Counting offering as dropped in basket. 
Birthday greeting song by school. 
Paste autumn-leaf sticker on the October birthday 
poster over the birthday date. 

10:15 — Sending greetings to any who may be sick by boys and 
girls who live near them. 

10:17 — Song by school, all standing: "A Thank You Song 
("Carols")- 



> ? 



®fje program 47 



10:20 — School prayer: 

And now the hour is over, 

And ere we go away, 
All standing thus together 

This little prayer we'll say: 

Help us, heavenly Father 

Thy loving face to seek, 
And guide and keep us safely 
All through the coming week. 

Amen. 
Chord for final dismissal. 

Review Questions 

1. Why is it necessary to plan a program ? 

2. What five elements enter into a well-planned pro- 
gram? 

3. What makes up the worship ? 

4. What enters into the fellowship ? 

5. Upon w T hat does effective instruction depend ? 

6. Why should there be an opportunity for expres- 
sion? 

7. Plan a workable program. 



VI 

QDfje iHatertal 

In order to teach the Bible to boys and girls and 
young people, great care must be taken to select the 
very best material as a basis for teaching. For many 
years this was a simple thing to do because there was 
just one course of lessons available — the Uniform 
Lessons. In later years, however, systems of Graded 
Lessons have also appeared and it is now necessary to 
make a choice among the various courses. 

The Uniform Lessons 

The International Uniform Lessons, which were in- 
troduced more than forty years ago, have been used 
all over the world, and are now so familiar that they 
hardly need to be here defined. They are planned to 
extend through a period of years and their prominent 
feature has been the selection of one passage of Scrip- 
ture for each Sunday, for use throughout the school 
without regard to the age of the pupil. Increasing 
care has been taken that those who prepared the helps 
for use should keep clearly in mind the particular 
grade for whieh they were intended. In that way the 
lessons were presented differently in the several 
grades. 

In 1918, the Improved Uniform Lessons appeared, 

48 



®fje jfWateriai 49 



being designed to meet and solve many of the diffi- 
culties found in the older plan. 

When the Uniform Lessons are used, it is neces- 
sary to have some system of supplemental lessons in 
order that certain facts about the Bible and certain 
passages of Scripture may, through memorization, be- 
come the possession of everyone. These lessons pro- 
mote the intelligent use of the Bible and they also 
suggest appropriate hymns to be committed. 

The Graded Lessons 

The International Graded Lessons were introduced 
in 1909 and are the outgrowth of years of conscien- 
tious study on the part of some of the greatest spe- 
cialists of the day. They form a regular system of 
Bible study, which extends through a period of seven- 
teen years, and in this system the lesson material is 
selected to suit the need of the pupil during each 
year of his development. The pupil is the center of 
it all. His characteristics and the needs which grow 
out of these characteristics are the warrant for the 
selection of the material. The lessons have been chosen 
in such a way that the different parts of the Bible 
are studied at the time when they appeal most natu- 
rally to the pupil and when they may best meet the 
spiritual needs at each stage of his development. They 
contribute directly and forcefully to the pupils' 
growth in character. 

The Departmental Graded Lessons 

Using the same general outlines as a basis, the De- 



50 tEtye lirtmarp department 

partmental Lessons have been devised. This system has 
been adopted by a number of denominations both in 
the United States and Canada and this method of treat- 
ment of the Graded Lesson outlines has been recog- 
nized by the International Lesson Committee. As the 
name implies, the lessons are arranged by depart- 
ments rather than by years. All the children in one 
department study the same lesson on a given Sun- 
day. When these lessons or the Closely Graded Les- 
sons are used it is not necessary to use separate sup- 
plemental lessons, for in the preparation of the ma- 
terial the writers are careful to include facts about 
the Bible, passages of Scripture to be memorized, 
suggested hymns, and so forth. 

Lessons for the Primary Department 

More difficulties have attended the teaching of the 
Uniform Lessons to little children than to any other 
class of pupils; sometimes it has seemed almost im- 
possible to find an angle from which they could be 
fitly presented. For example, the teacher who had 
thirty children, ranging in age from two years to 
nine, gathered in the corner of a one-room school, was 
confronting a problem when she undertook to teach 
the lesson of the day. It was the story of John the 
Baptist reproving Herod for his wickedness. When 
we consider the form that wickedness took, we under- 
stand how entirely outside the range of the child's 
conception it falls. 

Such difficulties have been overcome by the use of 



Zl)t jfflatertal 51 



these later graded systems in which the lessons are 
adapted in theme to the changing ages of the children. 
Not only this, but the lessons are adapted in treat- 
ment to the need of the child. Their presentation is 
according to the most effective method. 

When the Closely Graded plan is used in the Pri- 
mary Department, there is one lesson for those who 
are six years old, one lesson for those who are seven, 
and one lesson for those who are eight. 

When the Departmental Lessons are used, all the 
children in the Primary Department have the same 
lesson. The course is so arranged that all children 
who remain in the Department for three years will 
be given practically the same series of lessons, but not 
all children will have them in the same order. 

A General View of the Lessons 

Whether she uses the Graded system according to the 
original plan or according to the Departmental plan, 
it is not enough for the teacher in any one depart- 
ment to be satisfied with a knowledge of the lessons 
prepared for her own department. The Primary 
teacher must have a reasonable knowledge of what 
has been accomplished by the Beginners teacher and 
she must also have some conception of the work which 
is to follow her own under the teachers of the Junior 
Department. 

The plan for Graded Lessons has one very dis- 
tinctive value. It has clearly defined aims. There is 
a definite aim for the whole course and a definite aim 



52 W$t ^rimarp department 

for each year of the course. If the Primary teacher 
clearly understands the aim of the Beginners Course, 
the aim of the Junior Course, and the work neces- 
sary in each instance to accomplish the aim, she will 
readily see the task which faces her in understanding 
her own aim and the work she will have to do in or- 
der to link these aims together. 

God's power is shown to the child through such les- 
sons as "God the Creator of All Things," "The 
Awakening of Hidden Life," "A Picture of the Heav- 
enly Home," and others. 

God's love is taught through such lessons as "God 
the Father of All," "The Gift of Water," "The Gift 
of Daily Bread." 

God's care is taught in "The Story of Noah and 
the Ark," "The People of Israel Saved at the Red 
Sea," "The Baby Jesus Saved from Danger." 

Lessons on "The Right Use of God's Good Gifts,' 
"Noah Thanking God," "Willing Gifts for God's 
House," "Joseph Obeying His Father," serve to 
awaken love and trust in the heavenly Father and in- 
duce obedience to him. 

One very noticeable feature of the Graded Lessons 
is the perfect harmony between these lessons and the 
new Standards for the Elementary Division as given 
in a previous chapter. 

The Lesson Helps 

The greatest care has been taken to furnish the very 
best help in the preparation and presentation of the 



®fje jWatertat 53 



lessons with all of these different courses. The value 
of eye teaching has been kept in mind, and pictures 
which are an education in themselves, are provided. 
Many of these pictures are reproductions of old mas- 
terpieces and all of them are designed to make the 
lessons plain and to impress them upon the mind of 
the child. Because the child loves a story, these les- 
sons are treated by the story method entirely. 

Opportunity for expression is freely given through 
the suggestions for handwork and the practical ap- 
plication of principles to the daily life of the child. 
The teacher who faithfully studies her own book and 
follows the directions for the use of the material is 
almost sure to make a success of each lesson. 

But at the same time the teacher must put her own 
personality into the lesson. The story as it is pre- 
pared for her is her guide, but she must make it her 
very ow T n if she would be able to use it effectively. 
It is so with each illustration and suggestion. She 
must make it fit into the conditions under which she 
is working and apply it to the pupils she is trying to 
reach. 

Review Questions 

1. Tell what you know about the Uniform Lessons. 

2. Why were Graded Lessons prepared ? 

3. Upon what are the Graded Lessons based? 

4. Tell what you know about the Departmental Les- 
sons. 

5. State why you especially prefer any one of these 
different kinds of lessons. 



VII 

W$t Use of tfje grtorp 

Every child delights in a story and there is no one 
qualification more absolutely indispensable to the Pri- 
mary teacher than the ability to use this unfailing 
means of interesting and instructing the child. Any 
teacher who is not willing to master the art of story- 
telling may just as well give up Primary teaching at 
once. 

The story has for little children a value which it 
is difficult to overestimate. It helps to win the shy 
child. Everything else is forgotten under its spell. 
Every effort may have failed to overcome that "first 
day" loneliness of the new child in the class, but when 
the teacher settles down to tell a story, the self-con- 
scious look gradually leaves the little face, the eyes 
grow eager, and an attitude of expectancy shows that 
everything else is forgotten. The children live the 
story as the teacher tells it and by the time it is fin- 
ished the shy child is leaning against her, looking into 
her eyes, with no sign of strangeness left. She has 
won the child through the story. 

The story quiets the restless child. The mother, 
the teacher, the friend — everyone who deals with lit- 
tle children — has at some time taken advantage of 
this fact. To be sure, the story must be wisely chosen 

54 



Wyt WL&t of tfje g>torp 55 

and skillfully told. A sister whose self-imposed duty 
it was to put her small brother to sleep by telling 
him stories, learned a valuable lesson one night. She 
was using an amplification of that old-time, much- 
used story: 

1 { There was a little man and he had a little gun ; 
And his bullets were made of lead, lead, lead. ' ' 

It happened that night that she was in a very in- 
ventive frame of mind and she succeeded in getting 
her hero into a great many interesting situations. In- 
deed she placed him in so many of these exciting and 
critical situations and got him out again with perfect 
safety that she never was able to repeat the story in 
exactly the same way. Needless to say, it was the 
cause of her complete undoing. Never again did she 
tell that particular story without being constantly 
interrupted, "No, no, sister, that wasn't what he did 
at all ; oh, no ! that wasn 't what you said the other 
time ! ' ' She learned that if she wanted to quiet the 
restless child she must be very careful as to the kind 
of story she chose, and furthermore she must know 
that story so perfectly that she could tell it in exactly 
the same way every time. Otherwise quiet and sleep 
were kept at arm 's length until the story was straight- 
ened out. 

The story will reclaim wandering attention. This 
has been tried successfully in large audiences where 
children are scattered among the grown people. 
When the subject under discussion is beyond their 



56 W$t IJrtmarp department 

comprehension these children often grow restless and 
inattentive ; but if a simple little story be introduced 
in illustration it is wonderful to see how quiet and at- 
tentive the children become. Sometimes this will work 
successfully with older people, too. 

The story will impart the desired information more 
effectively than it can be imparted by any other means. 
All of the Bible material to be used in the Primary 
Department is material that may be presented in 
story form. It is often a surprise to the adult in a 
family to find what a knowledge of the Bible a Pri- 
mary child has. But the child must receive his in- 
struction from a teacher who can weave that instruc- 
tion into story form. 

There is no way by which a bad habit may be 
broken, or a fault corrected, more effectively than 
by the use of the story. This was demonstrated by a 
teacher who had a little girl in her class who insisted 
upon telling untruths. When the teacher consulted 
the mother she found that she, too, was troubled about 
the fault but helpless to meet it. One day the teacher 
told the children a fairy story, "The Necklace of 
Truth." She noticed the intense interest awakened 
by the story but said nothing directly to the child for 
whom it was intended. That night the little girl 
put her arms around her mother's neck and told her 
the story. Then she whispered, "Mamma, sometimes 
I tell things that are not true, but I'm not going to 
any more ! ' ' That was the starting point, and al- 
though there were some difficulties to overcome, the 



GTfje ©tee of tfte g>torp 57 

victory was finally won and the habit was conquered. 
The story had accomplished what could never have 
been done through scolding and punishment. 

The story has many legitimate uses. It may be used 
as an approach to the lesson, for the teaching of the 
lesson itself, as an illustration of some point in the 
lesson, to reclaim attention or to emphasize the pre- 
vailing thought in the application of the lesson. All of 
these are legitimate uses of the story but, in Sunday 
school, it should never be used to fill in time. At other 
times it may be used merely to entertain but in Sun- 
day school it must be used only when there is a defi- 
nite purpose in the mind of the story-teller. 

The Primary child loves an old story, the story he 
has heard, perhaps, many times before. A "Story 
Lady 7 ' was entertained in a house where there w T as a 
little girl of Primary age. Just as she was hanging 
up her wraps little Virginia flew into the hall where 
she was, flung her arms around her waist, and ex- 
claimed: "Oh! I am so glad you are going to stay 
at our house ! My mamma says you can tell stories, 
and will you tell me some while you are here ? ' ' 

Now it happened that the "Story Lady" was at 
work upon a new story — one thkt had never been told 
to a child. It is well known that the success of a 
story is never assured until it has stood the test of 
being told to a child, so the story-teller welcomed the 
opportunity. After a while when they were seated 
together on the big, old sofa, with plenty of cushions 
to make them comfortable, the "Story Lady" began. 



58 ®f>e fJrtmarp department 



It was a truly beautiful story but she had just 
fairly started when a look of disappointment spread 
over Virginia's face, and she said, "Oh! I thought 
— you — were going to tell about — the three bears!' 

"Well, if that was what the child wanted, that was 
what she had to have. The new story was dropped and 
the other begun. It had been a long time since the 
visitor had told the story of the three bears, but she 
began bravely. To her dismay she made scarcely a 
statement all the way through that was not revised 
by Virginia. The child knew that story by heart, but 
she liked it all the better because it was the old 
story. 

The mother takes the sleepy child to bed. She tucks 
him in cozily and then lies down beside him to tell 
him stories until he falls asleep. She selects an old 
favorite and when she finishes he says, "Tell it 
again." She tells it again and then again. After a 
while the child lies so still, she can hardly feel his 
breathing. She thinks he is fast asleep and she starts 
to slide off the side of the bed and go to finish a bit 
of work she has left. Just then a little, sleepy voice 
says, "Tell — it — over — again!" She goes back and 
tells it over again until she almost wishes she had 
never learned it. But the child doesn 't ask for a new 
story. It is the old story, the oft-repeated story, that 
the little child enjoys. 

There is a wealth of story material. In past ex- 
periences there is an unfailing source. No story is 
so dear to a little girl as the one which begins, "When 



Cfje WLzt of ti)t g>torp 59 

I was a little girl, ' ' and no story so popular with a 
boy as one which begins, "When I was a little boy." 
Books, papers, magazines, are full of helpful ma- 
terial. The everyday world is rich in it. On the 
way to work, in the street car, on the train, on the 
street, at every turn there is story material for the 
one who is watching for it and who is skillful in adapt- 
ing it. 

Nowhere is there such a wealth of beautiful stories 
as in the Bible itself — fables, stories of nature, ad- 
venture, stories about places and people and things, 
stories that kindle love and arouse ambition, stories 
that suit every occasion and that serve to win and to 
train those who are intrusted to the teacher 's care. 

Questions for Review 

1. What are some of the legitimate uses of the story 
in Sunday school ? 

2. Name some sources of story material. 

3. Illustrate one phase of the value of the story. 

4. Why is it wise to repeat the same story over and 
over ? 



VIII 

Supplemental anb Correlateb He^on* 

In addition to the regular lessons, supplemental 
lessons or correlated lessons are also desirable. These 
lessons deal with the additional facts which must be 
taught, and the memory work which must be acquired. 

Distinction should be made between the two kinds 
of lessons, supplemental and correlated. They resem- 
ble each other in that they are in addition to the regu- 
lar lesson; but they differ in that the supplemental 
lesson may be entirely distinct from the regular les- 
son, but the correlated lesson is definitely related to 
the lesson that is being taught at the very time it is 
being presented. The correlated lesson is in many 
cases necessary in order that the regular lesson may 
be thoroughly understood. 

In using the Uniform Lessons, it is very desirable 
to have a carefully planned set of supplemental les- 
sons in order to teach certain facts about the Bible 
and to outline the memory work which the child should 
have. These lessons make him familiar with the Bible 
in its parts and in its books ; they store his mind and 
heart with passages of Scripture which should become 
a part of his life. They also include certain hymns 
which he should commit to memory and use fre- 

60 



Supplemental anb Correlateb Herons; 61 

quently. In these lessons, however, there is no definite 
plan by which the hymns chosen fit in with the lesson 
which is being taught. 

The correlated lesson is used with the Graded Les- 
son. Very often the correlated lesson is needed in 
order to afford a perfect understanding of the lesson 
itself. Some lessons could not be grasped at all by 
the child unless he were given the correlated lesson 
also. 

For example, the Twenty-third Psalm is a passage 
of Scripture which the Primary child always learns. 
As a supplemental lesson it is taught at any time, with- 
out regard to what lesson is under consideration. 

As a correlated lesson, it is taught in connection with 
such lessons as "A Shepherd Boy and a Giant," "Da- 
vid's Friendship w T ith the King's Son," "David and 
the Sleeping King," and other lessons of that type. 

The Christmas story and the Easter story are mem- 
orized at the time when the birth of Christ and his 
resurrection are the subject of study. 

In the story about the four friends bringing the 
sick man to Jesus for healing, a child would find it 
very difficult to understand how they carried him on 
to the housetop and let him down through the roof, 
unless he had been told about the way the houses were 
built at that time : and he would be puzzled over the 
w 7 ay in which the sick man took up his bed and walked, 
if the picture in his mind were that of the beds with 
which he is familiar. Then, too, he must know some- 
thing about the customs of the people about whom he 



62 ^{je ^rtmarp department 

is studying in order to have the lesson clear to him. 

One of the distinguishing features of the Primary 
Departmental Lessons, which are explained in Chap- 
ter VI, is that the supplementary work is made, so 
far as possible, an integral part of the lesson itself. 

Many workers feel that the logical time for either 
the supplemental or correlated lesson is before the 
regular lesson is taught. This is a good rule to fol- 
low, whether the object of it is to illumine the lesson 
or whether it is to drill upon the memory work. A fair 
portion of time should be set aside for this and then 
there should be a little break of some kind before the 
lesson story is told. A song or a rest exercise may be 
used. 

These lessons must be very carefully adapted to the 
child as regards the part of the world in which he 
lives and not only that but in relation to the condi- 
tions which surround him. The child who lives in 
the Southland cannot be reached by explanations and 
illustrations which would be entirely fitting for the 
child who lives in the North; the child who is in a 
home of poverty might not understand what would be 
perfectly plain to the child from the home of wealth ; 
the child who is surrounded by the culture of edu- 
cation would grasp easily what could never be made 
plain to the child who belongs in a family of the oppo- 
site type. Location and conditions must guide the 
teacher entirely. 

There has been a great deal of difference of opin- 
ion as to how these lessons should be assembled. Some 



Supplemental anb Correlateb Herons; 63 

workers have felt that they should be assembled and 
put out in printed form ; others believe that this would 
cause them to become merely mechanical and that the 
teacher might easily fall into the way of teaching 
them apart from the lesson with which they belong. 

A very satisfactory way is for the teacher to as- 
semble them herself. She can go over the work care- 
fully, decide what correlated lessons are necessary, 
and insert these notes in her teachers' book with the 
lesson to which they belong. 

Two things should be kept in mind. Both the sup- 
plemental, or the correlated lesson, and the regular 
lesson should be taught by the teacher; they should 
be given equal care in preparation and presentation. 

Review Questions 

1. Explain the difference between supplemental 
and correlated lessons. 

2. Why are correlated lessons necessary ? 

3. Give an example of a lesson which needs the cor- 
related lesson to make it plain. 

4. When and by whom should the correlated les- 
son be taught? 



IX 

JWtestona in tfje $rimarj> department 

The questions, c t Shall we teach missions in the Sun- 
day school ?" and "Why shall we teach missions in 
the Sunday school ?" are no longer open to consider- 
ation. It is now generally understood that the Bible 
is distinctively a missionary book and that it cannot 
be used as a textbook in the Sunday school without 
teaching missions. 

So thoroughly grounded is this belief that in some 
schools a "Missionary Room" is established. In that 
room is stationed a missionary specialist with the neces- 
sary equipment. She arranges a regularly graded 
course of missionary instruction and the classes of 
the school come to her in rotation. Each class is at- 
tended by its own teacher who takes the work with the 
class. Very practical results have often followed. 

Another fact which seems to be generally accepted 
is that the teaching of missions must begin very early 
in the child's life. Even a young child may begin to 
realize his relationship to other children and to un- 
derstand that every other child in the world shares 
his relationship to the Father in heaven. This, in 
reality, is the very first step to be taken in the study 
of missions. Whether the child shall have a growing 
interest in missions depends largely upon the impetus 

64 



jftltesricm* in tfje $rimarp Bepartment 65 

which is given to his missionary education during the 
early years when impressions are strong and lasting. 
A lack of missionary interest in the grown up points 
unerringly to the need of starting early and working 
systematically to correct this condition in the lives of 
the children of to-day. 

In the case of the Primary child, the teaching must 
come not so much through a formal, mechanical pro- 
gram as through the atmosphere which surrounds him. 
A missionary lesson now and then is not enough. 
There must be the constant teaching which comes nat- 
urally as a part of every Sunday's work. Never a 
Sunday should pass without leaving some strong mis- 
sionary impression. A missionary atmosphere may be 
created by what the child sees, what he hears, and 
what he does. 

Pictures are of great value in teaching missions. 
The child may become familiar with the faces of men 
and women who are doing active work in both home 
and foreign fields. He will be interested in the homes 
in which these missionaries live and in the striking 
characteristics of the places in which they work. 

He will be pleased with pictures of the children in 
these different mission fields and will enjoy particu- 
larly those which show them in their homes, in their 
schools, and at their play. Such pictures may be se- 
cured from the denominational publishers and from 
the missionary boards. Anything which demonstrates 
the customs of the people or illustrates their costumes 
is helpful. 



66 tBtye ^rtmarp department 

Sets of pictures taken in China and Japan, and il- 
lustrations of child life in different parts of the world, 
will be provided by the Missionary Education Move- 
ment, 156 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The flags 
of different countries interest a child and arouse in 
him a desire to know more about the countries to 
which they belong. It is a fine plan to have scrap- 
books filled with missionary pictures which the 
children who come early to Sunday school may 
enjoy. 

The child will examine with curiosity and interest 
any articles of wearing apparel which may be avail- 
able. The tools that are used in different countries 
will have a marked fascination for him. 

The impressions made in these ways are made 
through the eye; other impressions, equally strong, 
may be made through the ear. The appropriate Scrip- 
ture verse, the sorig, the striking incident, the mes- 
sage from a missionary in the field, will carry force if 
properly presented. Stories are always of value. A 
simple little story, such as "When Tommy was the 
Foreigner, ' ' 1 will do more to set children to think- 
ing about how they should treat the little boys and 
girls who have come from other countries to make our 
country their home, than any number of lectures or 
any number of reproofs and punishments for failure 
to treat them with consideration. A great many such 
stories are found in the Graded Lesson Quarterlies. 



lr This story and a wealth of pleasing material is found in "Mission- 
ary. Program Material," by Anita Ferris. 



Jtttesriong tn tfje $rimarp department 67 

The monthly magazine, Everyland, also furnishes a 
wealth of material. 

Sometimes there may be a very effective combina- 
tion of seeing and hearing. In one instance over six 
hundred children were held in breathless attention 
while the speaker graphically described to them the 
life of a little girl in Egypt. The speaker brought 
to the platform a little girl whom she introduced as 
"Fatima.' The child was dressed in a costume such 
as a little girl in Egypt would wear. The different 
articles of apparel were described, and then the child 
sat in plain sight while the speaker told just what she 
would do if she were in her own home, in her own 
school, at her play, and under the different circum- 
stances which would arise in her own country. At 
the close of the service the children crowded around 
the girl to examine more closely the things she wore 
and to try to get a peep at the face under her veil. 
They knew that it was one of their ow r n playmates 
dressed up : but there was a charm about it all which 
attracted them nevertheless. 

Most of all a missionary atmosphere is created 
through what the child does. Indeed it is useless to 
make the impression unless the opportunity to give 
expression accompanies it. It has been stated by 
psychologists that it is* harmful to arouse an emotion 
and provide no outlet for it. It is well to keep this 
in mind in regard to missionary education. A broad 
conception of missionary service must ultimately be 
given, and this can be accomplished only by starting 



68 ®f)e |Jrimarp department 

early to awaken it. Even the child must learn that 
missions are not only the great outstanding service, 
the large gift or the act of self-denial, but that any 
expression of love, of sympathy, of helpfulness for 
others, is also missionary. 

The lessons a child studies help to teach this. As 
he hears the lesson stories, and retells them, they be- 
come a part of his very being. The Primary Graded 
Lessons include such themes as "Love Shown by Giv- 
ing, " "Pleasing God by Right-Doing," "God's Lov- 
ing-Kindness, " " Jesus Choosing Helpers, ' " The 
Helpers of Jesus Carrying on His Work/' "The Chil- 
dren of the World for Jesus, ' ' " Seeking to Know and 
to Do God's Will," "Two Messengers of Jesus Doing 
God's Will." 

In the singing of songs the child finds an oppor- 
tunity for expression which is rich in results. The 
little "Whisper Song" published by the Neidlinger 
Company in East Orange, New Jersey, makes the child 
feel that he wants to tell the story of Jesus' love to 
other children across the sea so that it may become 
as dear to them as it is to him. "The World Chil- 
dren for Jesus" gives him the big view and helps him 
to get the understanding before mentioned that all 
children in the world stand in a like relation to the 
heavenly Father. "Give, Said the Little Stream' 1 
never loses its charm and it has touched the spark 
of love for giving in many a child's heart. "Beauti- 
ful the Little Hands" teaches the real consecration 
which is one of the greatest requisites for a mission- 



Jfflteaiona in tftc $rimarp department 69 

ary spirit. These songs may be found in "The Pri- 
mary and Junior Hymnal" and in such books as 
" Carols," by Ley da, and "Songs for Little People," 
by Danielson. 

The memorizing of special Scripture verses is im- 
portant. Such verses as Matt. 10 : 8b ; 22 : 37-39 ; Mark 
16:15; John 3:16; 13:35; and II Cor. 9:7b are 
very effective. 

The prayer of the child should be another means 
of expression of love for others and interest in them. 

The Primary child may easily be led to develop a 
desire to do the kind thing, to be gentle with animals, 
to be thoughtful of those around him, and quick to 
render any little service for others. This is all mis- 
sionary expression. Two little Primary girls made 
ready a small basket of fruit, with a glass of jelly in 
the center, covered it over with tissue paper, and 
started to visit two old ladies who were too feeble to 
go out of doors. After giving them the basket, they 
entertained them by singing some of their songs and 
reciting some verses. The old ladies were cheered by 
the unusual visit and it was a real expression of the 
missionary spirit. The children wanted to help some 
one, and they conceived the plan and carried it out 
without any direct suggestion from an older person. 

Another avenue of expression is giving. From ear- 
liest childhood an interest in giving may be awak- 
ened, provided the proper instruction is given con- 
cerning the object to w T hich the gift is to be devoted. 
Merely asking for missionary gifts will not accom- 



70 Gfifje ^rtmarp department 

plish the desired result. A real interest in the ob- 
ject of giving must be created. 

Surprising results have followed careful instruction 
of this kind. One Primary Department adopted a 
child in China, another in Africa, and cared for a boy 
in India. As these beneficiaries grew up others have 
taken their places. In addition to all this the Depart- 
ment purchased a tea plantation in Japan and is hav- 
ing it operated. All this came to pass because a con- 
secrated Primary superintendent has interested the 
boys and girls in her Department, net through any 
spectacular method, but simply by teaching them 
about the opportunities to give and directing their giv- 
ing. Her story of the little "Eed Box" which has 
been used for years to hold these love offerings is in- 
tensely interesting. 

Years ago, a faithful Sunday-school teacher filled 
with the missionary spirit, organized her class, ten or 
twelve girls of advanced Primary age, into a mission- 
ary circle with an attractive name. They met at her 
house every two weeks, for a part of the afternoon. 
"While she talked to them and told them stories about 
the particular field in which they were at that time 
interested, they worked with their hands for that field. 
They cut out pictures and made scrapbooks to send. 
They made simple articles to send away or to sell at 
the benefit entertainment they were arranging to give. 
This entertainment consisted of "An Evening in 
Japan' ' or "A Visit to China," or something of that 
kind, which was very instructive to them and most en- 



Jfflts#tong tn tije $rimat|> department 71 

tertaining to their elders. The children were so deeply 
interested that an invitation to the finest party that 
was given could not entice them to stay away from a 
meeting of their "society." 

This same teacher selected a missionary for each 
child. The child knew her missionary's name, where 
she was, and all about her. She remembered to pray 
for her and her Avork and she wrote to her missionary. 
It was a proud day for each earnest little writer when 
the reply came with its strange-looking foreign post- 
mark. These letters were carried around and exhib- 
ited until they were literally worn out. 

A great deal of careful planning on the part of 
the teacher w r as required. Many times she had to 
sacrifice something she wanted to do. But to-day 
those girls, grow T n to womanhood, are scattered here 
and there, each with a deep interest in missions. This 
interest had its first impulse in the little circle which 
met at the faithful teacher's home. 

Mrs. F. B. Dean, of Toledo, Ohio, a superintendent 
who has been very successful in creating a missionary 
atmosphere in her Department, has used the following 
little service with great profit : 

Supt. — Why have we met in God's home on God's day? 

Pupils. — To worship God. 

Supt, — In what ways do we worship God? 

Pupils. — By singing God's praises, reading God's Word, pray- 
ing to God, and bringing him our love gifts. 

Supt. — How can we give our love gifts to our heavenly Father? 
Can we put them into his hand as you would give some- 
thing to me? 



72 Cfje firimarp department 

Pupils. — No, we cannot see God. 

Supt. — Then, how can you do it? 

Pupils. — By giving them to others. 

Supt. — What does the Bible tell us about that? 

Pupils. — " Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren 
... ye did it unto me." 

Supt. — How do we give to others? 

Pupils. — The church officers send our money to different places. 

Supt. — Tell me some of them. 

Pupils. — The missionaries, the schools for Indian children, and 
little black children in the South, and hospitals across the 
ocean. 

Supt. — Tell me the names of countries where our very own mis- 
sionaries work and where our very own offerings help. 

Pupils. — Egypt, India, Sudan. 

Supt. — What is the color of the boys' and girls' skin who live 
in these countries? 

Pupils. — Brown and black. 

Supt. — Do you suppose Jesus loves brown and black children? 

Pupils. — Oh, yes; they are our brothers and sisters and God 
is our heavenly Father. 

Pupils. — "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only 
begotten Son. ' ' Other verses may be used, also the Great 
Commission. 

Before a special offering is taken this teacher sends 
into each home an envelope with each child. This 
envelope contains a slip explaining where the money 
is to be sent. This serves two purposes. It clears up 
any hazy ideas the children may have by giving the 
parents definite knowledge and it secures large offer- 
ings. 

This teacher also has a "Missionary Corner" in 
which are kept such materials as missionary pictures, 
objects, and posters. These posters may be made by 
drawing Indian canoe, wigwam, and so forth, or pic- 



Jfflts&iong in tfje $rimarp department 73 

tures may be pasted on. It is easy to secure pictures 
of a missionary school, the teachers in charge, the chil- 
dren attending it, and the like. 

This Department had a missionary party. The De- 
partment gave it for the Cradle Roll. They met at 
the teacher 's home and made pretty little invitations, 
which were taken to the homes of the Cradle Roll 
babies. 

The room was decorated prettily and at the begin- 
ning there was a little devotional service which is used 
on the Sabbath. Then stories were told of how moth- 
ers in different lands took care of their babies; one 
of the teachers drew pictures in crayon of the differ- 
ent kinds of cradles used in different lands. Some 
of the children showed pictures and told the stories 
about them ; the superintendent told a new story and 
the children played some games as they are played by 
children in different lands. 

There were refreshments with souvenirs for the 
children. 

At another time a "Chinese Party" was given, a 
Chinese woman graciously supplying them with the 
decorations. She also came in costume and made the 
tea for the mothers. 

The beautiful Christmas Service, "White Gifts for 
the King, ' ' has contributed greatly toward cultivating 
the spirit of giving for missions. More than one school 
has become a truly missionary school because of the 
intelligence and thoughtfulness which has been the 
outgrowth of that simple service. No child can have 



74 W$t Jlrtmarp Beparttrant 

a part in the plan of bringing the ' ' white gift, ' ' that 
is, the pure unselfish gift of substance and service 
and self to celebrate the birthday of the Christ, with- 
out having born in him the love of doing for others, 
which, after all, is missions in its highest sense. 

The different denominations have prepared courses 
of missionary studies which may be secured from 
them. For example, one denomination plans as fol- 
lows : 

From the first of the year to, and including, Easter 
Sunday — Japan. 

From Easter to, and including, Children's Day — 
the work of the publication, chapel cars, colportage 
wagons, and so forth. 

From Children's Day to Eally Day, state missions. 

From Rally Day to the end of the year — home mis- 
sions : The Italians. 

Another denomination plans regular courses of mis- 
sionary study, to be renewed at certain intervals. Be- 
sides the book for the teacher, there are three large 
pictures, a poster, and a sheet of small pictures. 

One set of lessons, "Seeing America," 1 took the 
pupils into several interesting places, for instance, the 
coke regions, the large cities, the Canadian North- 
west, and Alaska. 

Another set recently issued is called "Early Amer- 
icans"; it deals with the Indian, the pioneer, the 
mountaineer, and the negro. "God's Family," is the 



1 These courses are prepared by Hazel A. Lewis, American Christian 
Missionary Society, Cincinnati, 



Jtttstetontf in tfje $rimarp department 75 

title given to a practical course in mission study by 
Mrs. Ealph H. Gaw. 

These are but illustrations of what the different 
denominational boards are doing to supply the schools 
with material, logically arranged, which will awaken 
interest, induce study, and produce a generation of 
people who have an abounding interest in missions. 

Review Questions 

1. How may missions be taught to children through 
what they see ? 

2. How may missions be taught to children 
through w T hat they hear? 

3. How may missions be taught to children 
through w T hat they do? 

4. What do you understand to be the meaning of 
"missions" as related to little children? 



#tfjer &elateb &ubjecte 

There are other related subjects such as temper- 
ance, patriotism, and the like, which must claim the 
attention of the Primary teacher. As in the case of 
missions these lessons are impressed upon the little 
child very largely through the atmosphere which is 
created for him. 

Temperance 

Temperance teaching for the young child is neces- 
sarily quite different from temperance teaching for 
the adult. But if the teaching is to become effective 
at all, it must begin in the early years and be thor- 
oughly and systematically developed. The little child 
must be made to understand that his body is very 
precious, that the heavenly Father made it and has 
given the charge of it to him, and that if he gives it 
the care it ought to have, it will grow and develop 
and be fitted to do the very best work for which it was 
intended. This will mean an awakening of respon- 
sibility to keep the body clean, to give it plenty of 
fresh air, sunshine, rest, exercise, everything which is 
essential to its best growth. It will mean taking the 
best possible care of eyes, hair, teeth, and every part 
of the body. 

76 



#tt)er ifcelateb Subjects; 77 



The child will learn that all he takes into the body 
has its effect upon growth, health, and strength, and 
that he must take into the body only what will benefit 
it. He will learn, further, that what he takes into 
his mind, and what he gives out in his conversation 
and play, is of even greater importance. 

This means that temperance teaching is really the 
teaching of self-control. A small proportion of chil- 
dren meet the temptation to use intoxicating drinks, 
but from the very beginning of life all are tempted 
to indulge self — to overeat at meals, to eat between 
meals, to eat to excess certain things which are not 
best for them to have, and to neglect some things 
which are essential. 

Pictures, stories, services, drills, and handwork may 
be woven into the teaching and w T ith the regularly as- 
signed temperance lessons they will make possible the 
desired impressions. It should be kept in mind that 
it is the positive teaching which brings the most satis- 
factory results. With these small people it is never 
wise to use the negative teaching w r hich resorts to all 
sorts of harrowing, inappropriate illustrations, ex- 
periences, and exhortations. 

This appropriate pledge for Primary children is 
sometimes used: 

"I promise, God helping me, not to do, or to say, 
or to listen to, anything that I cannot tell my mother. " 

Primary children may learn to salute the Temper- 
ance Flag in the following words: 

"I gh r e my body to God who made it, asking him to 



78 W&t ^Primary department 

™ ' ■ -- ■- .1 ■ ■ ! ■ ■ .^— — — ^^^ 

help me keep it pure, strong, and fit for his serv- 



ice. ' ' 



Patriotism 

It is an easy matter in these days to awaken in the 
heart of even the smallest child a love of country and 
the natural desire to serve. The child is constantly 
feeling the appeal through what he sees. The khaki- 
clad soldier attracts his attention on every side, and 
arouses his admiration. He is constantly hearing 
about the bravery of serving his country. 

One Sunday morning in a large city a little band 
of Civil War veterans, with their fifes and their drums 
escorted a group of enlisted men to the church which 
is sending them out into the service of their country. 
Hearts were tender and eyes were wet as they passed 
along, but most interested of all was a little child 
who stood on the curb, watching eagerly and question- 
ing his grandfather. ' ' Well, you see, ' ' said the grand- 
father, ' ' at the time of the Civil War in this country, 
these old men who are drumming were young men 
just like the others are now and they are interested 
in these young soldiers and very proud of them. ' It 
was wonderful to see the eyes of the child light up 
with understanding and admiring sympathy. 

The service flags so commonly displayed in the 
house windows are another witness to love and sacri- 
fice, and they are in themselves an object lesson which 
sinks deep into the tender, impressionable heart of the 
child. One little lad, as he walked hand in hand 
with his father, looked up into the starlit skies and 



#tfjer &elateb &ubjttt* 79 

said, "Say, daddy dear, are those God's service stars 
that we see up in the sky?" 

No Primary Department should be without its own 
flag and the children should learn to love it by sing- 
ing songs about it, by touching it reverently, and by 
learning to salute it. Every Sunday's program should 
breathe patriotism, and special patriotic programs 
should be used at stated intervals. 

When one Primary Department earned two Ameri- 
can flags, and decided to present one of them to the 
Beginners Department, the following program was 
outlined for the occasion. It might be adapted for 
use upon other occasions of a similar nature : 

Let a committee of Primary children remain out 
of sight until all the others are ready to begin. Then 
let them come in carrying the flag and, of course, all 
the teachers and children will stand. 

Let all salute the flag: "I pledge allegiance to my 
flag and to the Republic for which it stands : one na- 
tion, indivisible, with liberty and justice to all. ' ' 

Sing one verse of "America." 

Let one of the committee tell how the flag was 
earned and explain that they want to give it to the 
Beginners to keep in their own room. 

Then let a Beginner say, "We are glad to have the 
beautiful flag and we thank you, but we would like 
to know something about what it means.' Let an- 
other Beginner come and touch the red stripe and ask, 
"What does the red in the flag tell us?" A Primary 
child will answer: "The red tells us to be brave. 



80 Zfyt $rimarp department 

Lots of soldiers and big men do brave things, but even 
little boys and girls can be brave. It means not to be 
afraid of anything at all, but to remember always that 
God will take care of us. ' ' 

Let a Beginner touch the white and ask, "What 
does the white say to us ? " A Primary child will an- 
swer: "The white says, 'Be pure.' That means that 
we are to take good care of our bodies, outside and 
inside. We are to keep them clean and not take into 
them anything that isn't good for them, and we are 
not to say things or think things that we cannot talk 
to our own mothers about. ' ' 

Let a Beginner touch the blue and ask, "And 
what does the blue tell us?" Then a Primary child 
says: "The blue tells us to be true. We must tell 
only the things that are true ; we must do as well as 
we can just what our fathers and mothers and our 
teachers want us to do. If we do that we shall be 
true to our heavenly Father, too." 

Let the Primary children sing some flag song they 
have learned in school, for example: 

1 ' There are many flags in many lands ; 
There are flags of every hue; 
But there is no flag in any land 
Like our own red, white, and blue. 

' ' Then hurrah for the flag, our country 's flag, 
With its stripes and its stars so true; 
For there is no flag in any land 

Like our own red, white, and blue." 

A good recitation on the flag may follow, or better 
still, a flag story may be told by one of the teachers. 



<0tijer jRelateb gmbjecte 81 



Nothing is more fitting for this than the beautiful 
"Flag Story" written by Miss Nannie Lee Frayser, 
of Kentucky. It is a captivating fairy story and gives 
a wonderful conception of the meaning of the flag. 

Immediately following the story, have all sing one 
verse of "The Star-Spangled Banner." 

The prayer which follows may fittingly close with 
this verse sung to the tune of "Father, We Thank 
Thee for the Night. 



? 7 



Father, we ask thee for thy care 
Over our soldiers everywhere; 
Guard them and keep them all the way 
And bring them all safe home some day. 

It must be impressed upon the child, too, that there 
is one part in patriotism which every child, no mat- 
ter how young, may have. Thousands of sons and 
brothers and friends are donning the uniform, giv- 
ing up home with all its comforts, as well as friends 
and their companionship, but many more must show 
their patriotism in other w T ays by keeping "the home 
fires burning." Even the Primary child has a share 
in this. He may help by being very careful not to 
waste any of the things he is given to eat; by going 
without some things that he likes that there may be 
more for the soldiers who are giving up so much. He 
may be able to do some errands for the Red Cross and 
he may do some little tasks in the home for his mother 
which will give her more free time to knit and sew 
and do other things for the soldiers. 

Then, too, the child may repeat over and over his 



82 ®f)e iJrimarp department 

love verses and sing his love songs, and as he does 
that he may learn that while we hate war and all of 
the suffering it has brought, we do not hate people. 
He must learn the truest kind of patriotism which 
teaches him to love his enemies. 

Questions for Review 

1. Name five ways in which a little child may prac- 
tice temperance in the care of his body. 

2. What methods may be employed to teach tem- 
perance to little children? 

3. Why should the positive method be used in teach- 
ing temperance? 

4. How would you teach a child to be patriotic? 

5. Name several ways in which a child may give 
expression to patriotic impulse. 



XI 

special Steps 

One of the distinguishing features of the modern 
Sunday school is the observance of special days, days 
which are singled out to convey some particular 
thought and lay stress on some one feature. In recent 
years, one after another of these days has presented 
its claims, until now there are so many that it has 
come to be a problem to arrange for them all and yet 
avoid slighting the regularly prescribed work. 

No one feels the reality of this problem more than 
does the Primary teacher, because on these occasions 
the Primary Department is always expected to con- 
tribute in large measure to the program. Indeed, in 
many schools, much of the responsibility of planning 
these programs rests with the teachers of the little 
children. 

There are two distinct groups of special days. In 
one group are the anniversaries of outstanding events 
including the birthdays of great heroes, missionaries, 
statesmen, poets, and others whose lives and charac- 
ters may with profit be emphasized. The Sundays near- 
est to the Fourth of July and Memorial Day afford 
a special opportunity to teach patriotism. The birth- 
days of Washington; Lincoln, Livingstone, Frances 

83 



84 tCfje $rimarp department 

Willard, and others, furnish the opportunity to im- 
part striking truths. In the second group are the 
days set apart as Church festival days or Sunday- 
school anniversaries. 

For the observance of days of the first group, it is 
not necessary that more than a small portion of time be 
devoted to bringing out the thought of the day. This 
may be done through appropriate decorations, the suc- 
cessful weaving of a song or story into the devotional 
service, or by the introduction of some attractive exer- 
cises. 

In the second group are such days as Cradle Roll 
Day, Home Department Day, Parents' Day or Moth- 
er's Day, Rally Day, Children's Day, Easter Sunday, 
and Christmas. On these days the services may oc- 
cupy the full session, or they may be given a special 
time outside of the regular Bible school hour. 

Cradle Roll Day 

There is no more fitting time to celebrate Cradle 
Roll Day than in June, the month of roses. 

One school held the Cradle Roll Day service in the 
Primary room, a basement room, but large, airy, and 
comfortable. There were roses everywhere. The net- 
work of heating pipes which covered the ceiling was 
twined with roses until it resembled a latticework 
of flowers. The organ and tables were banked with 
roses, and vases filled with the flowers stood outlined 
against the white of the dainty muslin curtains at 
the windows. Suspended from the ceiling was a cradle 



Special Step* 85 



filled to overflowing with beautiful big rosebuds. 
Every person who came into the room was given a 
rose. The air w T as full of the fragrance of the flow- 
ers and the room was bright with their gorgeous col- 
oring. 

The parents with their babies occupied seats of 
honor, and it was easy to find the brothers and sisters 
of these babies among the other children, their pride 
in them was so very apparent. 

The songs were selected to suit the day. One song 
was sung by the children to a dear little girl who stood 
on the platform holding a red rose. 

"Good, morrow, little rosebush; 
Oh! pray thee tell me true — 
To be as sweet as a sweet, red rose 
What must a body do ? ' ' 

"To be as sweet as a sweet, red rose, 
A little girl like you 
Just grows and grows and grows and grows, 
And that 's what she must do ! ' ' 

The little story of how pink roses * first came to be 
told to the children, and another story about flowers 
followed. 

A group of Primary girls sang a sweet lullaby, 
swaying to and fro to the music, their little arms hold- 
ing the imaginary babies. 

Four children responded to questions which were 
asked them by a fifth child, and their answers ex- 

1 This story is found in "How to Tell Stories to Children," by Sara 
Cone Bryant. 



86 (Btye primary department 

plained and described the Cradle Roll Department in 
the Sunday school. 

After a short talk to the parents they stepped for- 
ward to consecrate their little ones to the heavenly 
Father. At the close of this impressive service the 
cradle was lowered and the roses which filled it were 
given to the mothers and babies. 

In another school on Cradle Roll Day, each mother 
who brought her baby was given a coupon which en- 
titled her to two photographs of the baby — one to keep 
for herself, the other to be used in the school to make 
the pictured Cradle Roll. The pictures for the Roll 
were uniform in size, and were all grouped in a large 
frame. 

Home Department Day 

This day does not belong particularly to the Pri- 
mary Department, yet the interest of the children 
should be aroused in the Home Department by their 
having something to do in making the day an impres- 
sive occasion. They may sing some of their songs at 
the service, or recite some of their memory verses, or 
tell some of their stories. 

An essential thing in Cradle Roll and Home Depart- 
ment work is to interest every department of the 
school in these two extension departments. This is 
easily done in many ways. Even the youngest chil- 
dren may be interested in enlisting fathers and moth- 
ers, grandfathers and grandmothers, as members of 
the Home Department. 



imperial ©aps; 87 



Parents 9 Day or Mother's Day 

Those who outline the program for this occasion, 
should remember that the mothers and fathers of our 
little children are for the most part young mothers 
and fathers. Why should we turn the thoughts only 
to old mothers and fathers? By doing so we are al- 
most entirely outside of the child's conception and ex- 
perience. 

Rally Day 

Before Rally Day a careful survey should be made 
of each parish, and the parish should be faithfully 
canvassed in order that everyone who is not enrolled 
in the active membership of a Sunday school may be 
reached. Every child of Primary age who is not in 
some Sunday school should be approached. 

The program for the day should be made sufficiently 
attractive to compel the interest of those who attend 
on that day. One very essential thing is to have the 
full time given to the teaching of the lesson. It is a 
grave mistake in planning a Rally Day service to fill 
the time with unusual and spectacular features and 
omit the teaching of the lesson. The program should 
be just as attractive as possible, but the vital part 
of the day's work, the effective teaching of the lesson, 
should never be curtailed or crowded out. 

Children's Day and Easter Sunday 

These are the two special days which seem to be- 
long particularly to the children. Great care must be 



88 W$t $rimarp department 

taken to guard against certain dangers which grow out 
of that fact. In too many instances these days have 
degenerated into meaningless "show days." There 
should be a rigorous crusade against dress parade, 
showy recitations, and sensational, dramatic effects. 
The children should take part in the program, but 
only in such exercises as will be a real expression of 
their love for the heavenly Father. 

Much of the material with which the children are 
familiar through the Graded Lessons may be woven 
together to form the program. It is far better to use 
the Scriptural memory verses, the hymns, and the 
other material which has been so carefully selected 
for the children to memorize, than it is to spend the 
time and use the energy necessary to memorize new 
recitations and learn new songs which are for the oc- 
casion only and which have no permanent value. 
Through material so selected the parents while they 
are enjoying the program will be able to see some- 
thing of the real work that is being accomplished. 
The result must be to give them a clearer vision of the 
way in which they may cooperate with the faithful 
teachers who are directing the work; another advan- 
tage is that in this way there is no necessity to set 
aside the lesson on a number of Sundays, using that 
period for practice. Then by the use of the familiar 
material the children who take part will be relieved 
from the feeling of self-consciousness which is so ob- 
jectionable. 

It has been found interesting to let the children 



Special JSapa 89 



play out some of the Bible stories they have studied. 
The Primary children would delight in dramatizing 
"The Baby Moses" or "The Little Samuel." * 

Christmas 

Perhaps no one of the special days has been so 
abused as the Christmas celebration. Innovations crept 
in until the Christmas observance became a spectacular 
"entertainment/ in which the Christ spirit was al- 
most entirely absent. Selfishness reigned, and little 
thought was given to the real significance of the day. 

This extreme was bound to bring a revolution. To- 
day most schools make dominant the thought of 
' ' others. ' ' All sorts of plans have been conceived and 
carried out for the "giving Christmas." 

Of these plans the plan which has come nearest to 
the ideal is that known as "The White Christmas" 
when everyone brings "White Gifts for the King." 
This plan, based on an old legend, calls for gifts not 
only of substance but also of service and self. The 
plan was originally developed by the Methodist Epis- 
copal Sunday School at Painesville, Ohio, and has 
been promoted by the writer through her book, 
"White Gifts for the King." 

The service admits of great beauty and variety in 
the decorations, and its simplicity commends it as a 
fitting way in which to keep the birthday of the King. 
Even the youngest children delight in it. After one 



1 Suggestions for this work arc given in "The Good Samaritan, and 
Other Bible Stories Dramatized," by Edna Earle Cole. 



90 SCfje $rimarp JBtpavtrntnt 

looks into their shining eyes as they bring their gifts 
there is no room for doubt that it is "more blessed 
to give than to receive. ' ' 

The prevailing aim in all of these observances of 
"special days" is to give an opportunity for expres- 
sion in the lives of all participants and to inspire 
greater interest in everything that makes for good. A 
special day program which sends out the participants 
and the observers to give expression to some definite 
impulse for good may be counted a success. 

Review Questions 

1. What is the object of having "special days" in 
Sunday school? 

2. What two groups of special days are there? 

3. What results should be sought through a Rally 
Day service ? 

4. Outline an effective Children's Day service. 

5. How may a Christmas program secure expression 
from those who partake in it ? 



XII 

Cooperation of parents anil tEeacfjersf 

A threefold influence enters into the life of every 
child. This threefold influence — of the parent in the 
home, of the teacher in the day school, and of the 
teacher in the Sunday school — plays a vital part in 
shaping his life. This influence is like a silken thread 
that is made up of different strands. The beauty, the 
strength, the durability, of the silken thread will de- 
pend upon the beauty, the strength, the durability, of 
each separate strand. But that is not all: a great 
deal depends, also, upon the way in which the strands 
are wrought together. So the three who exert this 
great threefold influence must be not only fitted and 
prepared each for his own task ; they must also know 
one another, know the child in whom their interests 
center, understand the aims for that child and then 
strive together to accomplish those aims. 

No one has so great an influence as the mother. It 
is into her eyes that the child looks with the first glance 
of recognition: it is around her neck that he first 
throws his arms in a gesture of love ; it is into her 
ears that he first pours the secrets of his heart. If 
she be wise enough to retain his confidence he will 
turn to her with the secrets of his later life, he will 

91 



92 ®{je $rimarp department 

come to her with the higher joys and deeper sorrows 
which make up his experience. 

The successful teacher, whether in day school or 
Sunday school, is a close second to the mother. It is 
no uncommon thing to hear the assertion that the 
greatest influence that has come into a life has been 
that of one teacher, far back in the years. Possibly 
the teacher was never conscious of that influence. 

However thoroughly this responsibility may be un- 
derstood, the highest success cannot be attained unless 
parents and teachers work together. Every child is 
many-sided. Under varied conditions and with dif- 
ferent associates, he may seem to be an entirely differ- 
ent child. 

A teacher once told a mother what a satisfactory 
little pupil her daughter was — so competent in her 
work, so studious, so earnest, so perfect in her de- 
portment. When the mother repeated the conversa- 
tion that night for the benefit of the family, Marjorie 's 
"big brother" sighed and said, "I wish Mrs. C. 
would not make quite such an angel of Marjorie in 
school and perhaps she would not be quite such a lit- 
tle imp at home ! ? ' 

There were two sides to Marjorie. Her teacher had 
seen one side, her big brother had seen the other. 
Later, the teacher was a visitor in that home and she 
saw exactly what Gordon meant. The little girl w T ho 
was so capable in school, so helpful, so self-reliant, 
was peevish and cross in the home. She wanted to 
be waited upon at every turn and was not satisfied 



Cooperation of $arent£ anb {Eeacfjer* 93 

with anything that was done for her. She was in dan- 
ger of becoming a spoiled child. 

On the other hand, many a child who is considered 
tl perfect'' in the home is quite the contrary in day 
school or in Sunday school. 

Sometimes a parent is surprised when the teacher 
finds in the child some physical defect which has gone 
undiscovered; and it often happens that when a 
teacher becomes familiar with the conditions in a 
home, some of the child's trying peculiarities are un- 
derstood and she is prepared to meet the difficulty 
with forbearance and sympathy instead of harsh, un- 
bending judgment. 

Why parents and teachers are so slow to see the 
necessity for this mutual understanding and earnest 
cooperation it is hard to explain. How can parents 
send out their children, who are more precious than 
life itself, to the influence of teachers in the secular 
school and in Sunday school, w T hose very principles 
of life they do not know ? They would not do so w T ith 
anything else that belongs to them and yet they do 
it with the greatest treasures they have. On the other 
hand, how can a teacher take the responsibility of 
dealing with a child, at least in spiritual matters, 
without knowing something about the other influences 
which are at work upon that same child? Such con- 
ditions are all wrong and the time must come when 
parents and teachers w T ill know one another and work 
together. 

The parents and the teachers in the Bible school 



94 tEfje iJrtmarp department 

should visit each other in their homes. The value of 
knowing one another in this way can hardly be esti- 
mated. When the teacher goes into the home and 
knows the parents, she understands the influences 
which are at work in the child's life, and recognizes 
them either as forces which aid her in her work or 
forces which she must overcome. When the parent 
goes into the teacher's home he obtains an idea of her 
tastes, her habits, her self, which is a revelation to 
him. This mutual understanding is worth everything. 
The written word has also its value. When possible 
this should be a word of commendation and apprecia- 
tion, not of faultfinding and complaint. Some Sun- 
day, when the little lad who is usually uneasy, inat- 
tentive, and very trying, happens to be interested and 
delights his teacher by his attention, it would mean a 
great deal to both parents and child to have a word 
of commendation from the teacher ; and how the 
clouds in the sky of the conscientious but sometimes 
overburdened and overworked teacher would scatter 
if she should receive a little expression of appreciation 
of her faithfulness from the parent. 

The parents of course should be in the Sunday 
school as active members ; but whether they are mem- 
bers or not, they should keep in close touch with the 
work of the Department in which their children are 
placed, in order that they may know what is being 
done there and thus be able to supplement this work 
in the home. It is a very helpful plan for the Pri- 
mary Department to have an occasional " Parents ' 



Cooperation of parents; anb tEeacfjerg 95 

Night " or "Mothers' Afternoon. " At such a time 
there should be an interesting program, in which the 
children may do for their parents some of- the things 
they are accustomed to do on Sundays. This may be 
a drill on memory work, or the rendering of hymns 
or other exercises; or two or more of the lesson sto- 
ries may be retold or dramatized in the simplest fash- 
ion. The handwork might also be on exhibition. The 
"honors' should be explained thoroughly, and pos- 
sibly after a parent understands the meaning of these 
honors, a "blue ribbon ' : or a "gold star" will be 
found in an entirely new T direction by the end of the 
next quarter. This would be a very good time, too, 
to have a brief outline given of the work which is to 
receive attention in the coming w T eeks. Many times, 
if the parents understood the exact aims for which 
the teachers are striving, they would correlate their 
work in the home with that in the school. 

In one instance, at the beginning of a quarter, all 
the teachers in the Primary Department and all the 
parents of the children represented were called to- 
gether to listen to a presentation of the quarter's work. 
The lessons for the three grades were considered in 
groups and the underlying thought of each group dur- 
ing the quarter was carefully developed. This gave 
the parents the opportunity to keep the same thought 
constantly in the foreground in the home teaching. 
The home worship, the home reading, the little inti- 
mate talks, all could be made to fit in with the Sunday- 
school plan. At the same time the handwork which 



96 Wfyt $rtmarp department 

might be appropriately used was considered and the 
parents were made to see the connection between that 
and the lesson. Therefore when their children brought 
home work to do, they found a ready response from 
parents, who, thoroughly understanding its purpose, 
could realize its importance. 

There should be a permanent plan, too, for the 
parents and teachers to come together. The parent- 
teacher associations in the secular schools have dem- 
onstrated in a way that cannot be questioned the value 
of such a plan. In connection with every church 
school there should be an association composed of the 
parents of the children of the school, and in this as- 
sociation the teachers also should take a decided inter- 
est and an active part. It may be difficult to arrange 
for fathers and mothers to join in such a definite plan 
but the mothers might meet one afternoon each month 
and each quarterly meeting might be an evening meet- 
ing at which the fathers could be present. 

In the mothers ' meetings vital topics should be con- 
sidered and certain phases of child life should be stud- 
ied, for instance, home life, school life, play life, read- 
ing, association with music, pictures, nature, and the 
like. Certain problems should come up for discussion, 
such as the problems of punishment, self-control, self- 
knowledge. 

There are mothers and mothers — old mothers and 
young mothers ; sad mothers and glad mothers ; care- 
less mothers and careful mothers ; mothers who scold 
and fret and mothers who smile and sing; mothers 



Cooperation of Sarent* anb fleacftetg 



97 



wh0 co mP e! obedience ^"^T^ *£ 

«pated love which m turn inspires iove. 
seateu iuvc . d when 

mothers who seem to feel that t heir duty ^ 
their children are kept clean, well-fed, and weU-dressea. 
Th " ook carefully after their physical needs,but hand 
over the responsibility for the mental and spiritual 
raining to the teachers in the day school and Sunday 
training moQieB i who know that 

S; are^ponlble for the whole child, mothers who 
eaLe Jat'the physical, mental, «*j££j£ 
of the life cannot be separated one from the other, but 
that he whole life must be rounded out perfectly. It 
^ey plain that the coming together of these moth- 
ers oY different types, would result * *^ J""* 
to them all The element of strength in one would 
help the weakness in another, the experiences of the 
oiler mothers would enrich the lives of the younger 
ones- "he different natures would act one upon the 
oS and, unconsciously, all would ^benefited. 
These meetings should be ^^rmal. Jh.e 

SWd b o e f t SSi -onSdSbn helps most 

°4f Jwork which ^^£T<& 

^Xf^Ts^^tt^ Z be given, 
sionally a talk on so ^ may 

by a doctor, a specialist, a nurse, or s 

have a timely message to *™« ^^ disC us- 
should be very informal and followed by 
sion by the mothers themselves. 



98 W$t $rtmarp department 

A strikingly beautiful illustration of the relation 
that should exist between parents and teachers is given 
by Ian Maclaren in "Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush." 
' ' Maister Jamieson, ' ■ the teacher who had made it pos- 
sible for Georgie Howe to go away to the higher insti- 
tution of learning, received a letter telling of his suc- 
cess. He went at once to tell it ' ' first to his mither. ' ' 
When Marget understood it all she recounted all that 
he had done for them and then, taking his two hands 
in hers she said, ' ' Maister Jamieson, and for your re- 
ward yell get naither silver nor gold; but ye hae a 
mither 's gratitude ! ' ' 

Review Questions 

1. What three influences are especially powerful in 
a child's life? 

2. Why is it necessary for parents and teachers to 
know one another? 

3. What is the value of commendation ? 

4. Give several ways in which acquaintance between 
teachers and parents may be cultivated. 



Sppenbtx 

Pictures Suitable for a Primary Room 

(This list is copied from The Pilgrim Elementary Teacher, 

June, 1914.) 

For use with children six to eight years of age. 

The Sistine Madonna. Eaphael. 

Madonna of the Chair. Eaphael. 

Holy Night. Correggio. 

Arrival of the Shepherds. Le Eolle. 

Journey of the Magi. Portaels. 

St. Anthony of Padua and the Christ Child. Murillo. 

St. Joseph and the Christ Child. Murillo. 

Jesus in the Home. Von Uhde. 

Jesus Teaching from a Boat. Hofmann. 

The Entry Into Jerusalem. Plockhorst. 

Touch Me Not. Schonherr. 

Samuel. Joshua Reynolds. 

Eeligion. Charles S. Pearce. 

Into the Land of Canaan They Came. Dore. 

Isaac Blessing Jacob. Dore. 

Moses. Delaroche. 

The Lost Sheep. Molitor. 

The Sower. Millet. 

Books for Each Chapter 

I. The Primary Child 

The Unfolding Life. Lamoreaux. 

Child Nature and Child Nurture. St. John. 

A Study of Child Nature. Harrison. 

The Elementary Worker and His Work. Jacobs and 

Lincoln. 
Fundamentals of Child Study. Kirkpatrick. 
The Dawn of Character. Mumf ord. 

II. The Teacher 

The Pupil and the Teacher. Weigle. 
The Making of a Teacher. Brumbaugh. 

99 



100 ®fje jprimarp department 

Teaching and Teachers. Trumbull. 

Primer on Teaching. Adams. 

The Sunday School Teacher. Hamill. 

The Teacher's Candlestick. Slattery. 

Living Teachers. Slattery. 

The Teacher and the Child. Mark. 

Talks to Teachers. James. 

III. The Standard for the Primary Department. 

The Elementary Division Organized for Service, 

Bryner. 
The Dawn of Character. Mumford. 

IV. The Peace 

Elementary Worker and His Work. Jacobs and Lin- 
coln. 

The Housing of the Modern Sunday School. Marion 
Lawrance. 

The Church School. Athearn. 

V. The Program 

Primary Lesson Detail. Thomas. 
Primary Programs. Thomas. 

VI. The Material 

The Graded Sunday School in Principle and Prac- 
tice. Meyer. 

The Introduction and Use of the Graded Lessons. 
Primary Manual. ~ 

The Departmental Graded Lessons. (Send to the 
Presbyterian Board of Publication, Philadelphia, 
for this pamphlet and other information.) 

Primary Lesson Detail. Thomas. 

Primary Programs. Thomas. 

Handwork in Religious Education. War die. 

The Good Samaritan, and Other Bible Stories Dram- 
atized. Cole. 

VII. The Use of the Story 

Stories and Story-Telling. St. John. 
How to Tell Stories to Children. Bryant. 
Some Great Stories and How to Tell Them. Wyche. 
Story Telling— What to Tell and How to Tell It. 
Lyman. 



Sppentrix 101 

Tell Me a True Story. Stewart. 

Once Upon a Time Tales. Stewart. 

Stories to Tell to Children. Bryant. 

For the Children's Hour. Bailey and Lewis. 

Fanciful Flower Tales. Bigham. 

Mother Stories. Lindsey. 

More Mother Stories. Lindsey. 

Why the Chimes Bang. Alden. 

Story-Tell Lib. Slosson. 

In the Child's World. Poulsson. 

The Story Hour. Wiggin and Smith. 

Christmas Legends and Stories. Curtiss. 

VIII. Supplemental and Correlated Lessons 

Supplemental Lessons for the Primary Department. 

Thomas. 
The Lord's Prayer for Children. Lawson. 
The Shepherd's Psalm. Baldwin. 

IX. Mission in the Primary Department 

Children of Many Lands in Costume. Dietz. 

God's Family. Gaw. 

Missionary Program Material. Ferris. 

Missionary Programs and Incidents. Trull. 

Graded Missionary Instruction in the Church School. 
Beard. 

A Song of Life. Morley. 

The King and His Wonderful Castle. Browm. 

Graded Social Service for the Sunday School. Hutch- 
ins. 

Graded Temperance Helps. Dietz. 

X. Other Belated Subjects 

Child Nature and Child Nurture. St. John. 

A Study of Child Nature. Harrison. 

The Training of the Human Plant. Burbank. 

Good Health. Gulick. 

Graded Temperance Helps. Dietz. 

The Benewal of Life. Morley. 

Confidences. Lowry. 

The Three Gifts of Life. Smith. 



102 gtfje iPrtmarp department 

XI. Special Days 

Children's Parties for Sunday School and Home. 

Fitch. 
Special Days in the Sunday School. Lawrance. 
Children of Many Lands in Costume. Dietz. 
White Gifts for the King. Curtiss. 

XII. Cooperation of Parents and Teachers 

The Children's Reading. Olcott. 
Education by Plays and Games. Johnson. 
Hints on Child Training. Trumbull. 
Children's Ways. Sully. 
Children's Rights. Wiggin and Smith. 
Some Silent Teachers. Harrison. 
Misunderstood Children. Harrison. 



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